What Sets JY Apart: A Mission-Driven Approach (BJRE092)

With a mission focus, everything becomes different in Jesus Youth

(By Dr. Edward Edezhath - Published in Kairos Magazine in 2025)

I grew up hearing many fascinating stories about our legendary village school headmaster. “I pity the family where the children are all obedient. Its future is so bleak,” he once told a high school class. The students were stunned by this unconventional observation. One confident kid broke the silence, “But sir, if we don’t obey our elders...” “No,” he responded, “Don’t just obey, but do what you should do!”  

What is the calling and responsibility of a Catholic? Before Vatican II, as someone humorously said, the duty of the ordinary Catholic was to "pay, pray, and obey.” Then came the Council with a strong call for mission, and recent popes have emphasized this call: every baptized person is urged to be a missionary. The emphasis isn't on just following rules, but on being moved by the Lord’s Spirit, who sends us out to fulfill our unique calling. That is precisely the JY focus. And that makes this movement radically different.

This missionary enthusiasm cannot be taught; it is planted and cultivated in a specific context and culture. Too much teaching can even stifle it, as Jeremiah seems to say, “This is the covenant I will make.... I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts . . . No longer shall each man teach his neighbor, saying ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.” (31:33,34) No wonder, with the reception of the Holy Spirit a radical transformation happens. Disciples became “those who turn the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6)

Seeing everyone as precious and unique

Many leaders tend to see others as immature, needing constant instruction and guidance. “I am so glad that in Jesus Youth you teach youth to pray and grow in faith,” one sister enthusiastically told me. But I thought to myself, “No, she missed the point.” What we do is help youth discover their unique importance and encourage them to follow their calling with confidence. In our gatherings, the focus is not on teaching but on discovery, celebration, and giving affirmation. And this is what leads to a life filled with enthusiasm and mission. 

In a sense, the historic conference, Jesus Youth 85, was the culmination of nearly seven years of reflective learning and a synodal journey by a group of youth and elders. In the First Line group, there was a clear consensus that in modern times, when young people gather, the culture and approach must differ from those in charismatic retreats and parish youth programs. There, elders give, asking youth to receive. But young people tend to shy away when there is excessive preaching and lengthy prayer services. In our reflections, we found that the Holy Spirit can work in a radically different way.

In 1982, when we gathered leaders from all our groups, Fr. Gino challenged us to embark on a new path: guiding youth toward radical self-discovery not through preaching, but through reflection and mutual conversation. Every person is precious and unique, and all we can do is create spaces where there is a culture of deep acceptance and encouragement, allowing us to realize that God has made each of us special. We also discovered that excessive talking and instruction from so-called experts can gradually undermine this culture, ultimately leading to a loss of focus on the mission. 

“Reinvent the wheel” every time. 

Most of us want clear plans in most things we do. That is good, but if we repeat the same plan and pattern without reflection, it can become a lifeless ritual. Of course, having a routine makes it easier to get things done. At home, in school, at work, or in church, we focus on streamlining our activities. This helps us a lot, and we say, ‘Don’t reinvent the wheel!’ 

However, one major problem with this approach is that it can suppress a sense of initiative and mission. “New wine must be put into fresh wineskins” (Lk 5:38). Fr. Abraham used to say in our group, “Yesterday’s solutions will not solve today’s problems.” A missionary is born when a person recognizes a challenge, turns to the Lord along with friends to find solutions, and goes out enthusiastically with a new approach. This, Pope Francis called a synodal process. In Jesus Youth, missionary enthusiasm grows not through formal teaching or mission training, but through this synodal search that continually leads to the discovery of new solutions. So, should we reinvent the wheel? Yes, this reinvention is what sparks joy and a sense of mission.

Programs that form joyful missionaries 

In Jesus Youth, a program might be very brief or long, for a small group or a large gathering, but a mission-stirring experience can happen in any setting. There, we may discuss the mission, but it is not a teaching or discussion that forms missionaries. What is that culture in a Jesus Youth that promotes mission in people?

o Personal attention: In gatherings, people can get lost, but when they are eagerly seen and heard as we gather, they come alive.

o Freedom and joy: Freedom and joy are the work of the Holy Spirit, and in a JY setting, when people come alive through smiles, fun, and play, the best foundation for mission is laid. 

o Shifting focus from teachers and trainers: Speaking of mission, St. Pope Paul VI discusses how the modern generation tends to turn away from teachers. One effective way we use is to encourage ordinary people to share their insights, which in turn touches others.

o Be like Noah’s ark: A gathering in which all types and kinds are there is more loving and formative, maybe because the real world is also that way.

o Activity focus: Today’s temptation is for big ideas and lofty thoughts, but even a simple activity and doing something together will motivate well.

o Emphasis on community and outreach: Today, the world is becoming increasingly individualistic. But God can heal us and use us when we join hands, build community, and go out to be near others.

We need to take Pope Francis’s words more seriously. “I dream of a ‘missionary option’, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation.” (Evangelii Gaudium, 27) This ‘missionary impulse’ is surely in the DNA of JY. We should be vigilant not to lose this ‘saltiness’ and do all we can to maintain our simple Jesus Youth ways, which foster a missionary culture.