New Post: Rediscovering Sabbath Rest: A Call to Holy Leisure and Renewal
Whatever you do, don't (:
Post for the Week
New Post: Rediscovering Sabbath Rest: A Call to Holy Leisure and Renewal - Whatever you do, don't (:
Featured Faith Fragment
The young people that concern us in this study are between the ages of 18 and the early thirties. They are at the post-adolescence stage and want to become psychologically autonomous by trying to affirm their self. More precisely, they all have a need to be themselves and to stand back in order to assess their education and social influences. These young people might be relatively integrated socially in their studies or professional life, whereas some of them might be in precarious professional and personal situations: unemployment, psychological instability, disruptive behaviour and numerous life problems. They often express a desire to become more confident in themselves, and they wish to free themselves of doubts regarding existence and to lose their fear of the idea of emotional commitment. They sometimes request help from their parents but they feel awkward about it. Most of them continue to live with their parents [1] , and others who move away remain dependant on their families. They often feel the need for support when faced with reality so that they can accept themselves, accept life and set to work [2] in the real world.
They also search for reasons for living in order to construct their existence. Most of them are relatively detached from religious concerns and they often acknowledge that they have not been informed or educated in this respect. Nevertheless, they are affected by the phenomenon of sects, terrorism and war, and that gives them a troubled and conflictive outlook on religion, in particular on Islam. Religion is attractive, but at the same time it is a cause of concern when it is represented as a source of conflict in the world. This, however, is an error in interpretation because these conflicts are of political and economic origin. We still have much to learn about living in harmony with others. In short, their knowledge of the Christian faith and of the Church remains at the level of cliches and the intellectual reconstructions going around in society in television dramas and in the cinema.
In a society that, for various reasons, fosters doubt and cynicism, fear and helplessness, immaturity and childishness, some young people tend to stay at the level of primary gratification. They find it hard to be grown-up and mature. Maturity usually defines personalities who have managed to put in place the basic functions of their psychological selves and who are able to differentiate between their inner lives and their surroundings. Many young people who remain psychologically immature often have trouble making this distinction. What they feel and imagine often takes the place of the facts and reality of the outer world. This state of affairs is amplified and fed by the media psychology that stirs the contemporary mind, and by the virtual world created by video games and the internet. These things predispose them to living in an imaginary and virtual world without having learned to be in contact with reality. Reality tends to disappoint and depress them. They have a "play" approach to life and a need to celebrate, especially at the weekend, without being sure of what they are celebrating. They seek out places where they can mix with others and have sensations that give them the feeling that they are really living. It remains to be seen if these experiences create true relationships and contribute to the emotional and intellectual improvement of their personalities. They are relatively ambivalent in this regard because they want to enter reality and yet escape from it.
World Youth Day: From Toronto to Cologne, Rome 10-13 April 2003, Fr. Tony Anatrella, Psychoanalyst, specialist in Social Psychiatry, The world of youth today: who are they and what do they seek?
Website Updates from this Week (9/8/24-9/14/24, in the course of 1.5 hours):
Added Navigation to Litany of Marriage and Discipleship in cases of need for an intentional reconciliation to Sacrament of Reconciliation: https://www.vivatagnusdei.com/faith/prayer-and-devotions/confession
Added Optional Prayer in case of Need for Reconciliation to Litany of Discipleship and Marriage to Litanies: https://www.vivatagnusdei.com/faith/prayer-and-devotions/litanies