Jesus Youth is a community of wounded healers (BJRE056)

 

Jesus Youth is a community of wounded healers.

(By Dr. Edward Edezhath. Published in Kairos Magazine in 2022) 

There are times when you go to class with a plan, but everything takes an unexpected turn. This happened to me again recently. 

That was a seminar for youth. For the warm-up session leading to the discussion topic, I asked the group to talk about the most significant challenges contemporary youth face. A lively discussion ensued. Finally, Teresa, a teenager, spoke up. “The greatest struggle that most of us face is that almost no one understands what we go through. Even when we are deeply sad and lonely, not even our parents notice it. Everyone is too busy. They are reluctant to connect with us even when they see us upset. " Her friend sitting nearby eagerly shook her head and added, “If only we had more concerned people and places where we could feel listened to, understood, and accepted."

I wanted to convey that what you are asking for is a regular, lively Jesus Youth fellowship. Fortunately, Jake shared his experience. “I came to this city after high school. I was invited to the Jesus Youth group here. Imagine the variety of challenges and frustrations a person like me faces in a new place with an unfamiliar lifestyle and culture. But there was this group I could turn to week after week. There were also some generous families and friends to whom I could confide almost every day. I not only received help to overcome my inner struggles but also learned to walk in my faith. If I had not been part of this JY group, I do not know where I would be.”

Activity focus can be so hurting.

This discussion had an interesting background. When I met the parish priest that morning, he complained about the local youth's lack of cooperation. The youth showed no interest in the variety of programs he was trying to organize. He attempted several activities, but ultimately, they all fell through. 

Listening to Teresa and her friend speak about the insensitivity and lack of concern they encounter at home and in church, I thought about how the parish priest and the youth journey on parallel lines. The priest is convinced that the many activities he organizes in the parish and the faith-related talks he arranges are best for the youth. But the youth look for persons and places to unload their burdens and sort out their confusions, for which the parish programs are irrelevant. 

I am glad that Pope Francis understands it well. He says, “I see the church as a field hospital after battle. ... You have to heal wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds... And you have to start from the ground up."

Wounded Healers

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung coined this term. He said ‘wounded healers’ are often intuitive and insightful. They usually have an inspiring story of healing and will be compassionate. They, in turn, will be very helpful to those who need healing and companionship.  

• They have experienced pain and suffering and may be in the process of healing, which allows them to easily connect with others who are in pain and suffering.

• Wounded healers are good listeners, understanding, accepting and creative.

• From their own experiences, they come to view each suffering as an opportunity.

Quite interestingly, anyone who feels the touch of the Holy Spirit can be a good healer. Some training or orientation on listening to and supporting the lonely can be helpful for this mission, but it is not essential. 

We must remember that Jesus is the ‘wounded healer’ par excellence. He was wounded for our sake and now He comes to heal us. Therefore, we, in turn, call upon the crucified one to be present and active when we approach one another to give and receive healing.

We need field hospitals and frontline doctors.

Soumya, one of the organizers of the youth seminar, told me, “Almost every family and every young person is facing tough challenges. There is no shortage of advice on what to do. However, what every individual truly needs is the healing presence of good friends who can listen, support, and encourage.” She continued that needy individuals exist everywhere, but very few people are available to help. As a dedicated missionary with Jesus Youth, she has spent considerable time with troubled youth and families. She also found that regular meetings in small groups greatly assist individuals in sorting out their problems. 

A similar scene can be found in the Gospels: “Jesus had compassion for the crowds, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few’” (Mt 9:36, 37).

Deeply wounded by realities that continue to hurt, most people build walls around themselves. Some even find and cling to spiritualities and styles of prayer that help them block relationships. As Pope Francis explains it well: “The Christian ideal will always be a summons to overcome suspicion, habitual mistrust, fear of losing our privacy, and all the defensive attitudes that today’s world imposes on us. Many try to escape from others and take refuge in the comfort of their privacy or in a small circle of close friends, renouncing the realism of the social aspect of the Gospel. Just as some desire a purely spiritual Christ, without flesh and without the cross, they also wish for their interpersonal relationships to be provided by sophisticated equipment, by screens and systems that can be turned on and off at will.” (Evn Gau, 88)

There is a need to introduce people to healing relationships and communities and to help them understand that Christianity is all about fraternity and love. “The Gospel constantly encourages us to take the risk of a face-to-face encounter with others, engaging with their physical presence that challenges us, their pain and pleas, and their joy that inspires us in our close and continuous interaction.” This is surely what we intend to accomplish in a lively Jesus Youth Small Group or friendly gathering. The Pope continues, “True faith in the incarnate Son of God is inseparable from self-giving, from membership in the community, from service, and from reconciliation with others. The Son of God, by becoming flesh, summoned us to the revolution of tenderness.” (EG, 88)

One important reality today is that there is an overwhelming amount of information and teaching available on almost everything, including prayer and faith. However, when faced with life’s hurdles and confusions, most people feel abandoned, and few are willing to seek them out. The call of a Jesus Youth is to be a ‘war-front doctor,’ searching for the wounded and lost. The ministry of healing is most effective within a supportive healing community, which can transform into a field hospital for contemporary society.