young-stir
"Jesus said, 'Let the children come to Me. Do not hinder them. The kingdom of God belongs to such as these.' " —Matthew 19:14
Do we hinder children from coming to Jesus? When we "celebrate" Mass in a listless way, our youth turn to rock concerts rather than to the Lord for excitement. When we compromise the gospel with fund-raising, drinking, or gambling, our young people see the contradiction and hypocrisy. They become turned off to Christianity. When we're ashamed of the gospel and keep our Christianity to ourselves, our youth are deceived by cults not as reluctant to promote their beliefs.
The Lord calls us to reach out to our young people. We should not abandon our children to the secularistic educational system, the sadistic teen culture, or the lying television set. Jesus, the Truth, wants to free our children. He will pray for them and lay His nail-scarred hands on them (Mt 19:13, 15). He is the One they are seeking. He is the Meaning of life (Phil 1:21).
Together with our young people, let's repent and let God make for us "a new heart and a new spirit" (Ez 18:31). Let the children come to Jesus.
Prayer: Jesus, may I expect millions of young people to turn to You.
Promise: "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, says the Lord God. Return and live!" —Ez 18:32
Praise: St. Stephen led his entire country from superstition and paganism to Christ.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our leaflet on How To Get Your Kids To Go To Church And Go To Heaven or on audio AV 42-3 or video V-42.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 25, 2008
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