“Give Your Reviews” By Alexis Fuentes, Fiat Ventures
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
In the youth ministry I work with, there’s a guy named…well let’s just call him Kyle. Kyle is totally awesome. Let me tell you a little bit about him. He’s tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He’s captain of the varsity basketball team and going to college on a baseball scholarship. Talented and modest, he’s the kind of guy that every other guy wants to be and every girl wants to marry. While all those things are great, they’re not the things that make Kyle awesome.
Every Sunday morning, you will find Kyle and his two faithful parents sitting faithfully at the 7am Mass. Even though Kyle is the most popular guy in school, he never looks down on anyone. He treats everyone the same. When we’re on retreat, he always sits with the shyest or most awkward teen and spends time making him laugh. And every time I ask him how he’s doing, he smiles his winning smile and says, “Life is good.”
There’s just this one thing: Kyle never wants to speak in front of people. Whenever I say, “hey Kyle, I need you to give a talk” or “hey Kyle, can you hype up the ski trip that’s coming up,” I always find that his winning smile begins to wane. He gets nervous and shy. Kyle doesn’t seek attention. He’s very comfortable letting his noble actions speak for themselves, and makes sure he never has to do any of the talking.
I wonder, do people like Kyle really know the kind of power they have? Do they understand the difference that they could make or the impact they could have if they just dared to speak?
This Sunday’s gospel is rich with interesting themes and characters as the disciples meet Jesus for the first time. However, it’s the opening lines that really spoke to me the most as I read the passage this time around.
John (the Baptist) was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
This image really stayed with me as I thought about the teens in my own parish. Here we find John, standing there with his disciples, watching Jesus walk by. Without fear or uncertainty, he says to his followers, “Look guys! There He is. There’s the One who has come to save us. He is our king.” The disciples, whose attention is fixed on what John has to say, go immediately and follow Jesus. And in that moment, their lives are changed forever.
John must have had something of what Kyle has. He must have had a winning smile. He must have made other people feel loved and accepted, and most of all, inspired! If not, why would anyone listen to him? Why would they be convinced that what he said was true or worth following at all?
If I had one challenge for teens today, it would be this: Give your reviews! Tell people about your friendship with God. Talk about why you show up to 7am Mass every Sunday morning. Talk about why you smile and say, “Life is good.” when everyone around you is full of anxiety and depression. Talk about why you treat everyone the same. Talk about why people matter. Be like John the Baptist! Tell your followers and admirers, “Hey guys, look! There’s Jesus, the one who loves us, the one who saves us.” You have the power to lead them to Christ, and by doing so, you have the power to change lives. If you don’t have the words, ask for them. Exodus 4:12 says that “[the Lord] will help you speak and teach you what to say.” Do not be shy about the gifts and talents you’ve been given, but rather, use them and “do everything for the glory of God!”
