In the Catholic Peace Weekly, a professor in a Catholic University in her column expresses her feelings when she meets the young students in her class, obliged to take a Christian-related course. Her mind awakens as if suddenly she came out of a greenhouse in the middle of winter. How can we tell them that the life and message of Jesus, a young man of Nazareth, who lived 2,000 years ago, is "meaningful" to them? It seems to be the same dilemma Pope Saint John XXIII and the 3,000 bishops had, gathered at the council half a century ago.
The church does not exist only for those who are saved to be comforted and happy in it. Of course, Christians will and should receive comfort, courage, and strength. Yet the church is chosen to enjoy such joy, and at the same time includes the mission to invite others to enter.
In Christianity, acceptance of the invitation and mission are two sides of the same coin. Moses, the prophets, the apostles, the founders of the Religious Orders, etc. all clearly exemplified this characteristic, the same for all Christians. Christ's command to preach the gospel to the end of the world has been given to all disciples. As St. Thomas Aquinas said, no one is excluded from the proclamation of the truth of the Gospel. Jesus Christ is not only a truth we make our own but a truth to be proclaimed 'from the rooftops'.
However, it is not easy to realize this mission in the world in which we live. In this world, values, consciousness, and lifestyle change quickly, even material things. This change is unpredictable and difficult to grasp or understand. Moreover, the generational gap is so large that one wonders if we are really contemporaries. At some point, our society divides generations, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation M, Generation Z, and children born after 2010 are now called the Alpha Generation. Young people are collectively called the MZ generation, but do they fall into one category? Even the youth of Generation Z are different from each other.
Many people try not to enter or let others into their lives. When it comes to love that requires effort, sacrifice, and patience, there are those who do not want such painful love. Some will make concessions right up to the time they will lose money. What is interesting is that Baby Boomers and Generation X are also following the individualism of young people. The generation gap in this regard is getting smaller.
In this context, how can we proclaim Jesus Christ, who was willing to sacrifice himself, accepting irrational treatment and insults, when it was his Father's Will to serve. However, can this truth not be reduced or distorted in order to please people? The truth we must proclaim is "the same Christ yesterday, today, and tomorrow." How do we proclaim this enduring truth in this ever-changing world and people? This was the concern of Catholic intellectuals in the rapidly changing modern society of the 19th century. Pope John XXIII in the 20th century, the bishops of the Council, and later popes, and now this is the concern of all of us. How can the Church be the "soul of the world" to borrow the expression of Article 40 of the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World?
