“Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such. » In 1976, the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) published a document entitled “A Vision for Youth Ministry.” It was a guiding and illuminating response to the challenges of effectively bringing America's youth closer to God by showing them the ways and reasons to live a good Christian life in relationship with the Lord. This document enjoyed great success in youth ministry in the United States, but, two decades after its publication, in 1997, the USCC, in response to the new challenges and needs of today's youth, released a new document entitled “Renewing the Vision: A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry. » The new document builds on the fine tradition of that of 1976, except that “Renewing the Vision” responds to three new challenges. Since the new document deals essentially with the same issues as the previous one, with the exception of the three new objectives, my research work will be based on the concepts of the 1976 document as well as on the review of the three new challenges of "Renewing the Vision ."Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get an original essay Although both of these papers concern the spiritual development of American youth, I think they can be used by youth ministers around the world, because if we look at the youth of the world today, we will find them facing much of the same problems as the youth of the United States. descended to earth with the Good News of salvation, he died and rose again for the salvation of people of all ages from all nations of the world who existed at that time, who are now and who will be. After his resurrection and ascension to heaven, Christ left the leadership of the Church to the apostles, who have been succeeded by bishops until the present day. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the bishops of the Catholic Church, with the Pope at their head, to ensure that the message of salvation is correctly transmitted to the people of God who constitute the Church. Although Christ's message of salvation is always the same, the methods used by the Church to present it to people are different, and this is because there are different age groups who accept it in different ways. manners. This means that we cannot, for example, present the same conceptions of faith that require the intelligence of an 18-year-old to a 6-year-old child. This is why the Catholic Church teaches the principles of its faith according to the age groups and abilities of the recipients. The General Directory for Catechesis speaks of four general age groups to whom the appropriate teaching methods of the Church's teachings should be applied, and these groups are: adults, infants and young children, youth and the elderly . In our case, it will be about presenting the saving message to young people. Every ministry of our Church requires three things: "to proclaim the good news of salvation, to offer ourselves as a group of people transformed by the Spirit into a community of faith, hope and love, and to bring justice and God's love to others through service in its individual, social and political dimensions. Furthermore, in any ministry of the Church, the life of our Savior Jesus Christ must always be an example to follow. What is essential for those responsible for youth ministry to remember is that if they want to exercise ministry as the Church desires, they must give of themselves intheir relationships with others, that is to say with young people, without even being afraid to give their lives. service to them. In other words, they must put all their heart and all their will into the ministry, because on them may depend the salvation of the soul of a young person who is everyone's greatest treasure. Christ gives us all different gifts that he wants us to develop as perfectly as possible. So, if we feel we have received a calling to work with young people, then it is up to us to develop it to the best of our abilities. But if you feel that you cannot work with young people, it is better to leave the ministry than to continue doing it, because otherwise it could result in a gradual and imperceptible ruin of the young people's lives. In other words, it is better not to be a youth minister at all than to be a bad minister. First of all, every youth minister must keep in mind two objectives that youth ministry requires to ensure good work with young people. people, and they are:1. “Youth ministry aims to promote the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person. 2. Youth ministry seeks to attract young people to responsible participation in the life, mission and work of the community of faith. » It is very important for a young minister to establish a relationship of trust with young people. If a young man or woman trusts a youth minister, then it will be much easier for him or her to work with such people and hold up Christ and his teachings as the model and model to follow. In addition, the sacrament of reconciliation has great importance here, because through confession, in addition to its primary objective of cleansing the soul from the burden of sins by renewing the grace of God, the young person learns to trust others . For what? Because if he is not afraid to tell his sins to God through the priest as mediator, then this has some influence on him to learn to trust others. Additionally, it is important to remember to show a young person how God works in their daily life, that He is not someone inaccessible, but someone who wants to communicate with His child, so that he finds the true and peaceful purpose of his life. Young people need to see that their youth ministers truly care about them and are willing to listen to them and help them in a Christian way whatever problems they encounter. Youth ministers should also involve young people in an active Christian life, and the best way to do this would be to involve them in the life of their own parish, so that they see and feel the joy of working at the building the Kingdom of God. on earth. It is very helpful for young people to gain a sense of belonging to a community, because "God [is] found in people" and, therefore, youth ministers should try to organize different sports activities, camping , helping the poor, visiting hospitals, doing charitable volunteering, etc. In working with young people, it is always good for ministers to teach young people to share with others the knowledge and experience of living a good Christian life, for this is exactly how the message of the Gospel spreads throughout the world - through sharing the joy of salvation with other people. The relationship between young people and their families is also essential in youth ministry, and this is precisely one of the new challenges that “Renewing the Vision” faces. with. The problem in American society today, as in most other countries, is that children do not spend enough time with their families, andthis is because “consumerism and entertainment media often encourage a culture of isolation.” This is why youth ministers should talk with young people about the importance of balancing their lives with each other in terms of spending more time with their family, because it is a family where young people learn to live in the world. Therefore, the task of every youth ministry is to ensure that young people receive the best moral values ​​and Christian practices from their families. Another part of youth ministry is teaching young people to be able to make good moral decisions in their lives. their lives, and this process requires having faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, because faith is "one's conviction of the ultimate character and meaning of existence - [it] is the resting place of the heart and the guide to the orientation of the mind", and who, if not our Good God, can give us this peace of heart by making morally good decisions. Very often, the simplest solution to a problem is not always the best. It is therefore of crucial importance for a youth minister to provide a young person with good Christian and explanatory reasons for them to make the right choices in life. Youth ministry should teach young people the willingness to grow in Christ, and that means growing in holiness, because that is something that can be done if they want to live a good Christian moral life, and that will help them not to be afraid of life challenges and the ability to choose the right path in life. Furthermore, young people and adults who care for young people must remember that they themselves are a living example for young people. If ministers teach young people one thing and they themselves do the completely opposite thing, then they may lose the confidence of young people and, most likely, they will lose it themselves. So this is something that is very important to remember in youth ministry. Another important factor to remember when working with young people is that young people are naturally inclined to follow the example their parents set for them at home. If you see that the young people you work with refer to their parents' bad example, such as alcohol addiction, as a result of their action, talk to their parents about it, or even the best way would be to tell the problem to your parish priest who would be more appropriate to talk to parents, because you don't want to teach young people not to trust their parents, or worse yet, to hate them - otherwise young people might be confused about what that you are trying to teach them. Another challenge facing "Renewing the Vision" is the lack of self-identity among many young Americans today - they don't know who they are and what the whole idea of ​​life is. . For what? Because at this stage of their lives, they “try to find meaning in [their] life and a new continuity between [their] past and [their] future”. Adolescents, at this period of their lives, experience a "crisis of faith" - they are dissatisfied with the religion of [their] childhood but still incapable of an adult personal faith", and this "crisis of faith" concerns as much autonomy and values ​​as is the case with religion. It is therefore an important task of any youth ministry to "help the adolescent to discern, in the midst of sometimes dramatic experiences, the elements which truly belong to the faith and those which depend on the culture or the process of growth itself. work with the daily reading of the Holy Bible, because "the words of the Gospel can never be exhausted." Sacred Scripture is the book where young people can find the answers to questions thatask them and, very often, the questions they are afraid to ask you. Organizing group retreats is one of the best ways to teach young people. people will develop confidence with their peers, and they will also have the chance to learn how to take time to talk to God in prayer. Prayer plays a very important role in youth ministry as a means of spiritual communication with God. Through prayer, young people learn to open their hearts to Jesus Christ who is the best listener, counselor and healer for any problem a young man or woman might have; “prayer gives strength for great ideals, to maintain faith, charity, purity and generosity; prayer gives the courage to emerge from indifference and guilt, if unfortunately we have given in to temptation and weakness; prayer gives the light to see and consider the events of one's own life and history in the saving perspective of God and eternity. Participation in the liturgy (which is also a form of prayer) is no less important too. Through the liturgy and liturgical services, a young person better understands the meaning and importance of living a good Christian life. Young people must also understand the importance of the Eucharist, as the source of their Christian life, because, as Christ says, “he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him”. Additionally, an important part of youth ministry should be teaching young people the importance of the sacraments as "sources" of God's grace, so necessary in spiritual growth. that young people are always looking for role models in their lives, that is why it is of vital importance to explain and present to them that the best role model in their lives must be Christ himself, because he is the only one to have given us an example of how one can achieve perfection in one's life. Furthermore, youth ministers should create different programs that could help in discovering the different gifts of young people, because very often it happens that young people have many talents, but they are hesitant to reveal them. Additionally, teach young people to discover their leadership skills. Give them some kind of responsible job to do, so they can see their potential, and who knows, sometimes you will be surprised at their abilities. Furthermore, it is of crucial importance to teach young people to face the reality of life and not to be afraid of the challenges it may present, but on the contrary to be able to combat difficulties in a Christian way - with love and compassion. . Also teach young people to respect themselves, to love their neighbors and to hate sin, because that is exactly how Jesus wants us to live. Nowadays, sexual ethics is a major issue, not just in the United States. but also throughout the world. Try to explain to young people that sex belongs to Christian marriage only as one of the essential components of a healthy married life, and that any sexual activity outside of marriage is contrary to the law of God and the natural law, because “like all human actions, sexual activity has its consequences: physical, emotional and spiritual, such as abortion for example, etc. Also talk about drugs with young people. Explain to them that drugs destroy the human body, which is supposed to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, as well as the soul. The third challenge facing "Renewing the Vision" is to provide a foundation of different publications of documents "on which to build an enriched and expanded vision and strategy" for solving the spiritual problems of young people, and this foundation must "be incorporated in a vision and a strategy."