Jesus Youth – where you learn to walk in joy - (BJRE002)


Jesus Youth – where you learn to walk in joy

(By Dr. Edward Edezhath - Published in Kairos Magazine in 2017)

It was the last week of June in 1976. The front part of the auditorium of St Teresa’s College, Ernakulam, was filled with sisters, priests, and some lay people. A team of priests, two from Bombay and one from the seminary in Alwaye was there to introduce the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. I came into that gathering with some hesitation, though I was invited by one of the organizing priests. I entered the hall with a few friends and took a corner seat.

The seminar started off with a note of abundant joy and freedom. Fr Fio, with his guitar, and Fr Rufus, with his accordion, started teaching a lively song with joyful movements and a hearty laugh. Its lyrics were simple and expressive, “The Joy of the Lord is my strength.” They repeated the song with slight variations, ‘The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace,’ ‘There are no grumpy faces in this Christian life,’ ‘The devil doesn’t like it when we laugh ha, ha’ and so on. Each line change was introduced with some witty remark or a funny anecdote, and all were spontaneously joined in with laughter, singing, and clapping. There is nothing so appealing and inviting as sincere joy. This was my first introduction to the joy-filled spirituality of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Before assessing and evaluating its worth, I smiled and sang fully in it. 

This was also a delightful introduction to the joy of praising God. We were taught new kinds of songs and new ways of praying, and the Bible was introduced as the source of abiding joy. We heard of the speakers’ own stories on how the Lord touched them and how they started a new life of joy. We heard about the lives of so many persons and families who were transformed by coming in touch with the Lord’s love and living a life of joy. This was an opening into a new heaven and earth, giving a new approach to life, its challenges, and living with others. 

A new spirituality and a new lifestyle

Charismatic Renewal came with a brand-new message of the Good News. Jesus has risen from the dead, and He gives us His Holy Spirit, the source of all joy and praise. If we open our hearts, we will be filled with God’s Spirit, who will set us free from all bondages of despair and fear and fill us with brand new joy. So many were deeply touched by this and found a new life of joy. Around me, I found a new culture and community growing.  

This new message had a special appeal to the young. They love friendship and celebration. There was a Christianity focused on joy, celebration, and friendship in Christ. Plenty of young people embraced it with great enthusiasm. How did they celebrate? With exuberant songs, noisy yet joyful exclamations of praise, prayer, and mutual chit-chat, sharing about the good things the Lord was doing in their lives. A new outcome of all this was the launching of praise groups. The youth came together in weekly groups and occasional gatherings for times of joyful praise and celebration.  

One blessing in my life was that I could join such a group as a follow-up to the seminar I attended. In early July 1976, we started coming together at St Teresa’s College, Ernakulam, under the guidance of Fr Marcelino Iragui, a Spanish Carmelite priest, and professor at Alwaye Seminary. He was such a loving and joyful mentor to every youngster. Naturally, the group he initiated grew into a place of abundant joy and loving fellowship. By now, four decades have passed by, and numerous persons have come and gone, and this group continues as a place and time of joyful singing, celebration of praise, and deep Christian love.

A Network of Joy

A life of joy flows out. Since 1978, there have been efforts in Kerala to bring together youth with this new experience. Such organizing efforts got a kick-start with a letter Fr Fio wrote in May of that year to the Charismatic leadership in the state. Thank God we responded positively, and there has been continuity and steady building up from then on.  There is always the danger of forgetting certain simple yet essential things in the growth path. But in the growth trail of Jesus Youth, there has been a constant call to return to these qualities that we tend to overlook, such as the emphasis on having joy in life and loving dedication.

How does Jesus Youth preserve this ever-eluding treasure of joy in personal lives and in the life of the movement? Surely, we can get caught up in too many bigger things and forget the importance of the little stream of joy. Joy is the fruit of the presence of Christ’s Spirit in our lives, and hence, taking time daily to be with the Lord and thus allowing his river of joy to flow in us is the basis of a refreshing life. A personal, joyful time of prayer and quiet time allowing the Word of God to sink in do the trick.  

But for joy to grow you need places where you drink in this refreshing stream. There is a parched world outside, and you need to be in the company of those with abundant spirit to be refreshed. Jesus Youth gatherings provide this infilling experience. They are characterized by joyful singing and spirit-filled praise. Fun-filled conversations, playful action songs, joyful games, shared meals, and the like created a culture of rejoicing in the movement. Joy can be built only on a foundation of deep love, and, in turn, this genuine love can grow only through the lifeblood of joy. Love and joy are such intimate companions.  A friendly ambiance where people listen to you and accept you as you are where you would happily spend your time. People, especially young people, come together in such joyful fellowships in the movement. Creative ideas of love and service sprout there, and many beautiful Jesus Youth initiatives emerge.

Finally, ‘it is in giving that we receive,’ and the best thing you learn in the movement is the joy of giving. Jesus is Father God’s free gift to the world, and Jesus gave humanity the gift of his Spirit. We who are in Christ are called to share the same spirit and continue this gift-giving chain. In Jesus Youth, there is a constant encouragement to live a life of giving, especially to the needy and the poor.

A happy life is built on this Joy Triangle, turning to the indwelling Spirit who is the source of my joy, belonging to a loving, friendly circle in which this joy is shared and nurtured, and committing to a life of sharing through which this joy is multiplied and spread. Jesus’ youth is a movement of joy well built on this triangular pillar. Its sure outcome is enduring and refreshing fruitfulness in every individual's life, fellowships, and ministries. With joy may you draw water from the wells of salvation (cf. Is. 12:3)

= Pointers for Reflection =

1. How do you lose joy in your life and your community?
2. What is your favorite 'joy-passage' in the Bible?
3. How effectively do you build this 'Joy Triangle'?
4. What is your favorite way of deepening joy?


The Key Themes:

        1. Joy as the Foundation of Spirituality  

2. Community and Fellowship in Faith  

3. A Lifestyle of Praise and Worship  

4. Service as an Expression of Joy  

5. The ‘Joy Triangle’ – A Model for Christian Living  

        

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