Who/What Do We Seek?

June 2006 has been an exciting month of ministry, service and growth for me.

Upon Father Brian's kind invitation, co-organizing IHM Altar Servers' Camp 2006

Tanjung Balai Youth Mission Trip 2006

Youth Empowered in the Spirit 2006

Now that the peak period for ministry in church is over because school has re-opened for most students, it's a great time for me to consolidate in a nutshell what i've done. And please allow me to share some of my thoughts with you.

Having completed my national service (NS) stint, I am waiting for term at SMU to begin on 21st August 2006. Hence in the past four months, as i delve into full-time youth ministry in IHM, my reality and perception of the exciting possibilities and potential pitfalls of ministry work have only been heightened.

For starters, i realise and admit there is definitely a lot of ministry work to be done - to share my conversion stories with others who may be seeking God, to teach the Faith, and to evangelize. Indeed, as Clement says, 'there can be no end to ministry work', especially now that there is a marked and visible increase in the desire of youths to seek God in IHM and there has been a marked increase in collaboration among the youth leaders of various youth groups in the archdiocese - especially in the youth charismatic renewal.

However, therein lies such a slippery slope too as I realize we are not called to be 'Superman' and to 'save the world' - we are only called to serve within our means as different parts of one body (1 Cor 12:14). Then during his session on Discernment at Zion's Joy (ZJ) in May 2006, Gerard Francisco aptly broached this topic and reminded us that serving in ministry itself is pleasing to God as we strive to extend His reign here on earth. Yet, 'spiritual overdrive' in ministry work will only be detrimental to oneself and the community around.

With that, in the past week my eyebrows have been raised by numerous approaches of youths who say they are 'tired' and probably burnt out with ministry work. Many negativities have possibly been embedded in the hearts and souls of such active youths in the Spirit during this peak period of ministry. But, how can service to God be stressful? God's ministry is not school, nor work, where we are bombarded with negative stress, barking managers, and often the resulting low self-image. No! God's ministry is empowering, He helps us to grow, and we must seek fulfillment, encouragement and identity (John 17:21) from the community around us as we serve Him through ministry in the church.

Clearly enough, the alarm bells are ringing and it only leads me to probe, 'Where did we as leaders go wrong? What is the root of these symptoms?' It has only made me more resolute in my conviction that as youth leaders, our call is a heavy responsibility as numerous souls, keen to grow and serve, are placed in our hands and care. We have to keep making the paths straight for ourselves and the people placed in our hands, to be a signpost that says, 'This way to God, please.'

That said, what how should we handle youths who are spiritually burnt-out? When i am burnt-out and tired from ministry work, does it mean i stop serving altogether? What is it that i seek? Why am i burnt out in the first place? Definitely, the physical sense of being burnt-out that comes with the lethargy, frustration and lack of vitality is not from the Holy Spirit - but only an initial reaction of the tired body and mind. Physically, i was burnt out after a four-day YES camp when i only had a few hours of sleep nightly. However, throughout and after the YES camp, I was also so excited by such dynamism in the Spirit flowing through the YES participants, I just didnt feel tired anymore! Following the camp, all i needed to do was to get a 12-hr sleep and i was ready to serve again - all the while of course, maintaining my daily habits of prayer and QT. Even Jesus himself retreated from the crowds into the hills to pray to the Father. Therefore, it is clear our source of strength must be from the Holy Spirit, a divine source and Providence - totally not a strength of the world we live in, bios, that it can give.

Think about Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman described in John 4. At the very beginning of their conversation, Jesus told her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that as saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water" (John 4:10). In a similar manner, we must seek the Lord in Mass, prayer, daily QT, and eucharistic adoration - it is not about us giving Jesus a drink by giving up our time to be with him as much as it is about coming to Jesus and asking Him for a drink. It is about presenting our needs to the Lord and asking Him to fill us with the heavenly grace, power and wisdom. It's about receiving all that we need to live in Him and for Him in this world (WAU, June 2006). If we stick close to the Lord and discern properly the paths He wants to lead us on, spiritual burn-outs should never happen at all!

Initially, in my early years of service in the church when i was in JC, i used to be primarily concerned with the spiritual lives of the people placed under my care in the cell group or FITS for that matter, thus often neglecting and resulting in weak efforts to know these people as they are, holistically - for we are spiritual people, but yet we are also people of multiple facets. We, Catholics, have family, friends, CCAs, struggles in school, crushes, histories, aspirations, we love watching movies, playing pool... etc! We, full-time Catholics, are full-time people too! Therefore, i have come to the conclusion that most of the time as youth leaders, the safer and relevant approach is to approach our community members as friends before we attempt to grow together with them in the spiritual sense. (The best approach is to synthesize the spiritual and social aspect.) Only then, will the growth in our Lord be complete - for even the apostles, besides praying and breaking bread together, they too 'continued in close fellowship' and 'had their meals together in their homes day after day.' (Acts 2:44, 46) The apostles were a faith community in Christ and then they were also a close-knitted community of good mahjong buddies!

We, ZJ, should emulate the apostles too!

So amidst all these times of exciting possibilities in God's ministry, let us be continually aware of the potential pitfalls in ministry work too. What/who is it that we are really seeking as we serve in ministry (XL), even as we attend daily Mass? Am i focused on God?

It Is You, Lord!

Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good. (Hebrew 10:24) Let us turn to one another, to our adult and spiritual directors for continual guidance in the Holy Spirit in humility - so that we may strive to be perfect offerings for His glory, to make the Church grow. Indeed, as Catholics, it is our responsibility, prerogative and privilege to evangelize - as Father William Goh puts it succintly, 'The Church is mission. She will die when we stop evangelizing.'

Dear Lord, as i serve you with my heart, please continue to fill me with your humility and reveal to me my weaknesses so that i may be perfect in Your eyes.

-rhino 69-