Teens' hunger for Christ

Last night’s Youth Group was pretty incredible. We offered Eucharistic Adoration with a meditation on the Scriptural verse, “I am with you always”. Almost 50 high school teens showed up! This was our largest turnout since the Kickoff party earlier this month, thanks be to God. In addition, it was amazing to process the Eucharist through the Church for Benediction and see just about every teen showing great reverence and respect for our Lord.

Teens really are hungry for Christ whether they know it or not. Like all of us, they are searching for happiness. Their daily lives are tough because they are constantly and intensely led by the culture toward pleasure and not true happiness. That’s why any time with Christ in the Eucharist is so huge for the teens because they get a taste of what real happiness and peace is.

The article in the August issue of Washingtonian, "The Secret Lives of Teens”, gives us a strong sense of how deeply many teens have gone after pleasure but also how some are pursuing the happiness they’ve found in God. Mindy included some of the article’s quotes from students in public and private high schools:

SEX-
“Age is not an issue anymore. Freshman year? That’s young. Sophomore year? That’s expected.”

“At my school, you’re dating before you have sex. In fact, you’re probably dating for six months.”

“I don’t think I could name one (virgin). If I dated a guy who’s a virgin, it’d be awkward. It’s a bit of a turnoff.”


DRINKING-
“I think binge drinking is defined as anything more than five drinks in a night. That’s every time there’s a party.”

“I steal from my parents. It’s easy. The liquor cabinet is right there- you fill up a water bottle and you’re ready to go. It was more of an issue with my big brother. He would take whole bottles. I’m like, ‘No, you don’t do that- you pour.’”


DRUGS-“It’s way easier to find weed than it is to get alcohol. Alcohol is a controlled substance.”“International Baccalaureate kids only do drugs on the weekends because they don’t have time during the week.”


GOD (the hopeful section of the article)-“Sometimes my sister and I go to church. I like to think I’m getting closer to God and he’s going to forgive me for everything I do.”

“I’m Catholic, and my sister got me involved in our church. I started going on these mission trips, and it’s so much fun. I’m obsessed with my church now. I feel closest to God when I go on those trips. It’s hard to explain. There’s just a vibe there.”