Reflections on Jesus Youth (BJRE***)

  Jesus Youth, Called to Be Master Builders (By Dr. Edward Edezhath. Published in Kairos Global in 2025) Many people like the beautiful depiction of the Sacred Heart as the resurrected Lord in my parish Church. Fr. Augustine, our former parish priest, planned and built the new church and envisioned the image. Later, he was transferred to another parish. he rebuilt the Church there also. Wherever he goes, he builds. Over the years, you can trace his presence by the landmarks he has left behind—visible signs of faith planted in brick, mortar, and vision. Thinking of other builders, I remember my friend who happened to renovate his house. After getting the knack, he built another house and sold it. And he has continued, building houses. Long after he has moved on, those houses continue to shelter generations. Thinking of it, this is something profound: the gift of building. Some do it with cement and stone, others with people and communities. And in the Christian vision, building is m...

In JY, the world becomes so small. It is the power of networking! (By Dr. Edward Edezhath - Published in Kairos Magazine in 2025) My colleague from the chemistry department was traveling to a city in Australia for a paper presentation. He had a few stops along the way and was eager to visit some places with his wife and kids. Hesitantly, he approached me, asking if I knew anyone in those countries. “Of course I have Jesus Youth friends there,” I replied. I connected him with my JY friends in Singapore, Australia, and other locations. When he arrived, he was warmly welcomed and shown around. My friend was pleasantly surprised by the warm reception and the close bond among these Jesus Youth friends. After he returned, he told everyone about this wonderful network called Jesus Youth. For those of us in Jesus Youth, this close connectedness and family-like bond is something we often take for granted. By now, this movement that started in a small way in South India has spread to almost all ...

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. ...

JY loves to travel. It is a sign of being a pilgrim people. (By Dr. Edward Edezhath. Published in Kairos Magazine in 2025) I was in my second year of college when my new responsibility came: traveling, connecting with young people, and building a network. My professors and colleagues knew my itinerant style well and were quite sympathetic. This pattern has continued ever since. I had an active community, and my travels felt like being sent out from it. Their encouragement and prayer support always backed me up. Of course, this life on the move helped me develop many new skills. Later, when I began my teaching career and wanted to pursue a PhD, people who knew me well said I’d never be able to complete such serious work with all my constant travels. I remember reading a lot on trains. In the end, some of those critics never completed their work, but surprisingly, I was able to, within a reasonable time. Interestingly, from the start of this movement, most JY leaders, though they are exc...

Be Sensitive to the Interior Journey of Young People (By Dr. Edward Edezhath - Published in Kairos Magazine in 2025) Last Sunday, I was at Holy Innocents’ Parish. It was the day after the first holy communion. The seventh graders animated the holy mass. I was so glad to see the liturgical celebration tailored to those groups of teenagers. The teachers and elders welcomed and sat with the teenagers. The celebrant was friendly and joyful. Without being boring or forcing them, the priest and the teachers ensured good participation from the youth. Even the homily included portions read by youngsters from their seats. This too was a sign of the priests’ sensitivity to the mindset of these adolescents. They would have been quite embarrassed to stand in the crowded church to read, so they were allowed to sit and do it. In many ways, everyone considered how the youngsters would feel about themselves and each other, ensuring participation without upsetting them. Such thoughtful youth accompanim...

The JY Charism of Spirit-filled Enthusiasm (By Dr. Edward Edezhath. Published in Kairos Magazine in 2025)   One of my fond memories from the formative days of Jesus Youth involves Johny, a member of our First Line group. The group began meeting monthly in 1982, with our initial gatherings taking place at Vidyaniketan, the institution where I lived and worked while teaching and caring for 17 teenagers. We would meet from the third Friday of the month until Sunday afternoon.  Johny was a businessman, so he naturally couldn't arrive early for our first meeting. He reached Vidyaniketan after midnight and rang the doorbell, waking the college director, a senior Jesuit priest. In the dead of night, we were all asleep when the elderly priest came down to open the door. With his characteristic exuberance, Johny greeted him with a loud “Praise the Lord,” only to receive a cold look and a stern, “Don’t wake up the whole neighborhood!” Johnny was one of the movement's early builders, emb...

Should we bring young people to Jesus or to Jesus Youth? (By Dr. Edward Edezhath. Published in Kairos Magazine in 2025)   It was a local gathering of JY leaders. During the discussion, Maria raised a question: "I am active in my parish. When I work with youth, bringing them to Jesus is essential. Should I also bring them to Jesus Youth? “ People remained quiet for a while, and another young person spoke up, saying, “That is true. In our work with the youngsters, should our goal be to bring them to the movement? “ I wondered where this question originated. Has she encountered some overzealous Jesus Youth who pressured people to join the movement, or is it stemming from some shame about being a Jesus Youth, belonging to this community, and her desire to conceal this aspect of her identity? Regardless of her motivation, it is essential to discuss her question. Firstly, is there a conflict between bringing people to Jesus and bringing them to the Jesus Youth? Secondly, what is the imp...