We need someone to say, “Come!” That is the essence of JY leadership (BJRE059)

We need someone to say, “Come!” That is the essence of JY leadership

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

I was at a teens’ camp. It was time for the Holy Mass, and everyone had gathered in the chapel. However, as often happens, all the front seats are empty, and everyone sits far away from the altar. “This looks quite shabby,” I thought. “But how can I encourage these youth to fill the front seats?” After a few seconds, Anita, one of the main volunteers at the camp, entered. With a gentle smile, she quickly moved around the hall, gesturing for the group to move forward. Lo and behold! Within a few seconds, all the front seats were filled. Now, the whole place looked well arranged. Furthermore, that day, participation in the Mass was quite active, perhaps because everyone knew someone was actively guiding them.

As I sat there, I continued to reflect. Anita did what Christian leadership ought to be: someone raising the voice to say, ‘Come.’

The tragedy of the good people with no initiative

There is a disturbing scene in the Lord’s story of the Good Samaritan. A poor man, attacked by robbers, is lying on the roadside. A priest and a Levite, representatives of good and prayerful people, pass by “on the other side, “doing nothing about it. We don’t know what their thoughts were. They likely thought, ‘I am already living a good life, involved in many church matters, and this is none of my concern.’ However, in the picture Jesus painted, they were on the wrong side.

In most schools, the ideal kids sit silently and never question or argue. As they grow up, they are often encouraged to follow the crowd, doing nothing out of place. When we look at life in a parish, good Christians are called ‘sheep, ‘the meek ones. There, the faithful are expected to ‘pray, pay, and obey’ and never speak out. ‘Officially,’ no dissenting voice is encouraged, and the best behavior for a Christian is doing what everyone else does, which is ‘obedience. ‘

The good ones are hopelessly passive, while the wrong ones are active in world leadership. We seem to tell our youth, ‘You should only pray and don’t do anything else,' while around the world, youth are encouraged to take leadership and ‘do something’ wherever they are.  I appreciate these words from the famous British statesman Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” 

Awaiting a sign of leadership

In times of confusion, someone needs to speak up, and then everyone will listen. This is how leadership emerges. I have witnessed this in Jesus Youth numerous times. For example, in 2018, during the significant Kerala floods, people were shocked and confused. Raiju quickly called Berly, Manoj, Binu, and many others. Within a few hours, a major initiative called “Nalla Ayalkaran” (Good Neighbour) was launched, providing assistance to thousands of devastated and vulnerable people. In another instance, noticing the rapidly increasing drug abuse among teens in the city, Suresh, Shalini, and a few others gathered to discuss an appropriate response. This marked the beginning of a series of important steps to help youth ‘say no to drugs.’ 

A loud voice saying ‘come’ gathers people in confusion and prompts them to take action. If really inspired by the Spirit, it becomes a prophetic voice of big change. If Jesus Youth is vibrant in colleges or parishes, it is because someone made a call in some confusion or hopelessness, and soon, people came together. What St. Paul says in his letter to the Romans is indeed very true: " The creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God” (8:19).

Which type of person says ‘come’? 

After a short meeting on campus ministry, Latha eagerly approached me, “Please tell me how to begin a group in my college.” Most youth are scared and think of all the problems in inviting others. But what they need is an inner push from the Holy Spirit. Then, they will take some simple steps and tell others to ‘come’. Latha took a step in faith, inviting many to a Jesus Youth gathering. Thus, she started a good group in her college. 

Latha, who had a Hindu background, came to know Jesus at a JY conference. She experienced God's love and was eager to do something beautiful for Jesus. She knew that the best way was to invite others to form a community where they would meet and grow in the Lord. Latha’s simplicity and joy made her a welcoming person, most suitable for saying ‘come’ to her friends.

As we have already found, saying ‘come’ is a sign of good Christian leadership. Individuals need three essential qualities: love for the Lord, love for their neighbor, and an enthusiastic disposition.

We also need places to invite people to

Linsey was a non-Catholic Christian, but through Jesus Youth, she became an active Catholic. Mathew invited her once to the weekly JY gathering, where she met a very joyful group of young people. After a few weeks of attending the small group, she decided to learn more about the Church, and her life has never been the same. 

We need enthusiastic Christians to invite, but the question is: invite to what or where? In a limited sense, we may invite youth to some conferences or trainings, but ultimately, we say ‘come’ to join a community. “The beauty of our group is that we have various ways to integrate people, such as a tea-and-snack group, outreach to the poor, a praise group, an intercession group, Bible study, games evening, media day, and so on.” People should be invited to come and belong to a family. That is what everyone wants, and that is God's beautiful plan.

The Bible concludes with a call to ‘come’ – The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come.’ (Rev.22:17). This invitation is extended by the Lord and the Church to everyone eager to experience the abundance of life. The role of a Christian leader is to be a spokesperson for the Lord, inviting those around them to ‘come,’ just as Anita did in her little way during that teen camp.