Yes, dedo, what’s the answer?
Since you’re specifically talking about young relatives, my thought is that you should never stop inviting them to come to Mass with you (or by themselves, for that matter). Don’t underestimate the impact of that personal invitation, as well as the witness of your own life of faith.
Even if you don’t talk a lot about it, that you take the care and time, not to mention risking being ignored and embarrassed by them, can make a very big impression on your relatives.
Don’t be discouraged if they don’t at first “bite” at your invitation. All we can do is plant the seeds - then it’s up to the Holy Spirit.
And keep praying for your relatives - “May they know God’s will for their lives, and be given the grace and courage to cooperate fully with it. Amen.”
I pray this for my children daily.
Thanks for the tips.
However, I am also wondering if there is a message / strategy that is effective to attract young people to the church outside of my personal life.
In general, the young people I see are behaving better than kids did when I was younger. However, many are drifting away from organized religion in general and Catholicism in particular.
I disagree that there is “a problem with the Mass”. Mathew Kelly does some Lighthouse media CDs on “becoming the best version of yourself” that addresses the issue of “the problem with the Mass”.
Kelly discusses examples of some of the things that people say is “the problem with the Mass”. The list basically goes on and on. Kelly says that the problem is not with the Mass, but with the perspective of people who complain about the Mass. He suggests praying to receive guidance on learning one way to become a better version of yourself before every Mass, and journalling to keep track of your insights.
Personally, I have attended Masses in many states and foreign countries. Although I attend conservative all Latin Masses on occasion, I have also enjoyed modern Masses including one in Hawaii that incorporated hula into the Mass.
I don’t think the answer is “fixing the Mass”, as there is already a wide variety of choices out there in Masses and Christian churches in general.
Rather, if there is an answer it is in a message that makes religion relevant to a young person’s life in this world.
For me, although I am no risk taker, I ended up in a high risk occupation and have played some risky sports. Having seen what can happen, and has happened, I would not want to have lived without spiritual direction. However, most people don’t see life that way, or they don’t think they can be guided.
I remember when I was learning to surf, I went out with this Christian surfer dude, and he taught me to say a prayer before going out. To this day, I say a Hail Mary before starting any activity with a significant risk.
Right about that time, a strange event occurred on Oahu where a big wave surfer and his friends were about to go out. Out of no where, a guy pulls over and warns them not to go out because of expected changes in ocean conditions.
They went out anyway and the most famous surfer drowned.
I can tell you that no one tells surfers not to go out. I have only experienced this on one occasion, and that advice came from another surfer.
So I think that spiritual guidance and protection is there if people are willing to hear it.
For some reason, more and more people don’t see it that way.
Problem is, some priests do not do this.