The Art and Joy of Balancing Old with New (BJRE095)

The Art and Joy of Balancing Old with New

(By Dr. Edward Edezhath, published in Kairos Global in 2025)

When my elder son got married many years ago, he wanted the church service to be held in a traditional style. He found a good Latin choir and arranged the liturgy in a quiet church. I glanced through the song sheet, filled with Latin hymns. There were a few mistakes, and I began correcting them. My son was mildly surprised that I knew the songs and remarked, “Oh, you Jesus Youth know Latin songs!”

I wasn’t surprised by his reaction. With my background in Charismatic spirituality, he didn’t expect me to appreciate the old ways, like Latin hymns. During my college years, most young people dismissed traditional practices. The Charismatic Renewal came then—soon after the Second Vatican Council—when freedom and freshness were in the air. New expressions flourished: spontaneous prayers, friendly Eucharistic celebrations, rejection of printed prayers, and even prayer sessions that began with fun and laughter. There were also reports of people taking too much freedom with liturgy and the sacraments.

When the pendulum swings to one extreme, it eventually swings back. When one generation rejects tradition, the next often rediscovers it with enthusiasm. Something similar has happened in spirituality. Today, I see many young people wearing headscarves, carrying rosaries, kneeling for Communion, and joyfully praying the Divine Office. Some want prayer to be “solemn” and dislike lighter moments. Some even refuse to turn to their neighbors to exchange the sign of peace during Mass.

Recently, while visiting a family, my friend Joseph said, “It’s so exciting to see today’s youngsters so serious about their faith. Isn’t it nice that they want an undiluted Christianity?”

I replied, “But is it always as simple as that?” And our discussion went on.

The Missionary Attitude

I told Joseph, let’s not argue about which is better—traditional or innovative ways. My focus is on what is best for Jesus Youth. As missionary disciples with a truly Catholic outlook, what should our approach be? I would advocate a happy balance. This is not just theory—Jesus Youth leaders face this challenge every day in community life and ministry.

A good example is how the Jesus Youth community prayer was developed. I was captivated by the chanting of the Divine Office in monastic communities, with its roots in thousands of years of Jewish and Christian prayer. On the other side was the Charismatic Renewal, with its spontaneity, participative style, and shared reflections that awaken each member and build community. The JY prayer was an attempt to bring these elements together.

Both sides are essential. The traditional ways offer beauty and wisdom tested over time. A younger person needs to be led into this richness and invited to discover its depth. And the result will be as Jesus says: “No one after drinking old wine desires new.” (Lk 5:39)

But we also face the challenge of living the ever-new Gospel today. It’s not enough to simply repeat what was done long ago and claim that this is “the real thing.” Even in prayer, there’s a need to unite new expressions with the old. Living today is not merely repeating the past. That is what Pope St. John XXIII meant by aggiornamento—bringing faith up to date for today’s needs—or as Jesus put it, “interpret the present time.” (Lk 12:56)

Watch Out for Your Bias

I’ve met many who resist using the language and style of today. Years ago, in a cathedral parish, the assistant priest encouraged me to meet young people every first Sunday. I went with a few JY leaders to make the sessions lively and inviting, helping them take a step toward a life in Christ. It was bearing fruit. But the vicar, a senior priest, would whisper to me, “Eddy, I tell you, this young priest has a lot of enthusiasm. But from my years of experience, I say this is useless. These youngsters will never improve.”

A good missionary, I believe, must love what is enduring and beautiful in tradition while being at ease with the language and culture of the place and people they serve. A Jesus Youth missionary should open their eyes, ears, and heart to the depth of Catholic tradition but should not be stuck in outdated ways. They should be comfortable with the language and style of today, especially that of the young generation.

Our call is to be in the world but not worldly. This world is passing away, but we are called to live fully here and now, allowing the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth through us. Jesus himself said, “One who is trained for the kingdom is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” (Mt 13:52)

As someone wisely put it: “Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. Tradition lives in conversation with the past while remembering where we are and when we are—and that it is we who have to decide.”

The Holy Spirit renews memories and builds Tradition but also inspires new and beautiful things today. Moved by the Spirit, the Jesus Youth missionary is called to do the same—to renew the face of the earth by bringing out the best of both worlds: the old and the new.