Young Adult Ministry

The Grace of “Newness”

With the 50th anniversary approaching I have been praying and thinking a great deal about the graces of the Renewal. From my perspective as a “church worker” I consider the grace of “newness” to be one of the greatest gifts of the Renewal. We believe that God can always do something new. This may seem overly simple but look around at Mass. Not everyone is expecting something new, not from God, nor from the Church, nor from us. Now look at a person who is baptized in the Spirit and you will see someone with the firm conviction that God often and actively intervenes in history and sends new currents of grace each and every day. Each prayer time, each Mass, each prayer meeting and each encounter offers the possibility of a new and powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. There is no drudgery in life in the Spirit. We should always be looking for the new graces.

One of the new gifts, particularly for young adults, has to be the video series, “The Wild Goose” by Fr. Dave Pivonka. I had the honor of being a part of it. It isn’t directed toward young people but Fr. Dave went out of his way to include several young adults who are living lives empowered by the Holy Spirit. Countless people have told me, “I thought that all that ‘stuff’ was for my parents.” One person in particular, after watching the series, told me, “I heard about that charismatic stuff from my aunt but I didn’t know the Spirit still moved that way!” We should all be looking for new graces and inspirations that will engage the world of today and break into the status quo, bringing this grace of newness. God can do something new for all of us.