By Fr Antony Christy, SDB –
We meet Isaac in the book of Genesis – son of Abraham, not an ordinary son but a son for whom Abraham waited a hundred years, a son who was the fruit of a promise! He was named Isaac (meaning, the one who laughs), because this child brought laughter to Sarah, the aged wife of Abraham.
Obedient to his father, Isaac walked beside his Father enquiring, ‘Father, the fire and the wood are here but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?'(Gen 22:7) And the strangeness of the episode thickens as the son is laid on the firewood with his hands tied. Isaac would have been alarmed at it, but he raises no revolt. He submits himself into the hands of his father – such was his trust and respect for his father. He knew he was secure in the hands of the Father. He believed his father had a purpose in everything that he did to his son. He was able to remain calm through the events that were taking place, because he had placed himself into the hands of his father.
The lessons are clear, aren’t they? Sons and Daughters, look at your parents as persons with whom you can feel secure. Honour them, respect them, trust them, in short Love them! Today the parent-children relationships are so strained because of the craze for autonomy and the claim of generation gap. What would a Christian Youngster be like – what would a Christian son or daughter be like – that is the question!
You Youngster… a challenge for you:
– Do you see whatever your parents do for you is for your good and that of your family?
– Can you, on a scale of 1 to 10, grade your love for your parents, 1 being ‘too weak’ and 10 being ‘God-strong’?
YOUCAT
Introduction: YOUCAT was published in 2011. Named ‘Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church’, it was released and handed to the youth at the World Youth Day Celebrations at Madrid, Spain by Pope Benedict XVI, who was the Holy Father then. Though it is not an official document of the Church, it enjoys the privilege of having been recommended by the Holy Father himself with the following words: ‘Study this Catechism! This is my heartfelt desire. Form Study Groups and Networks, share with each other on the internet!’ From the next issue, lets share a few interesting details about this catechism for the youth! Catchya…
KNOW YOUR CHURCH
1. Was Church Founded by Christ?
The answer depends on what you mean by ‘CHURCH’. If you mean the closed group that has some exclusive claims to Christ and to the salvific grace that Christ brings along, then I am afraid…it’s got to be a big NO!
But if you mean the community that is united by Christ, that lives a faith that is handed down by the Apostles, that identifies itself as the Body of Christ at the service of the Reign of God and that which loves, respect and dialogues with all others who have a different faith experience… then it has to be an emphatic YES.
Yes, Jesus initiated a Community to take his Father’s mission forward – that Apostolic Community is the Church.
DOCAT
Following YOUCAT, comes DOCAT, which is a popular adaptation of the social doctrine of the Catholic Church, since Pope Leo XIII (Rerum Novarum of 1891). Just as its predecessor, DOCAT was released and handed to the youth at the World Youth Day celebrations at Krakow in 2016. Here again Pope Francis challenges Christians to become actively involved in working for the greater justice in the world: ‘A Christian who in these times is not a revolutionary is not a Christian.’ We shall begin to share in this section certain salient features regarding DOCAT, the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church, made easy! See you sooooon…
Fr Antony Christy is a Salesian Priest from 2005, who has a Masters in Philosophy (specialisation in Religion) and a Masters in Theology (Specialisation in Catechetics). He is currently pursuing his doctoral research in Theology at Salesian Pontifical University, Rome. Walking with the Young towards a World of Peace and Dialogue is the passion that fires him on.