Some Jubilee thoughts: What if I am not a Jesus Youth?

As the Jubilee Conference comes closer, I was asking myself What is Jubilee for me..pondering on ,i ended up in another question which frequently comes up from priests,friends,relatives & well wishers - why are you so active in JY? or why are you a Jesus Youth?Each time i try to explain, but i was never able to give a satisfactory explanation till now. But today i feel i know the answer through approaching it from the opposite side - What if I was not a JY? I found out tat i would still be a good catholic going to church and doing good deeds but i will miss out on the following:

1. Loving the Catholic Church & her Pastors

                  I will never get to love the Catholic Church so much. I will never realize that the church has solid foundation laid out in for the common man through the Catechism of Catholic Church and explained now and then by the Holy Father. I will never hear about world youth day or the importance church gives to Young people. I will never make friends with priests,nuns,religious or spend time with them.They will always exists as "someone out there" rather "than someone to be with". I will never dare approach bishops as they are always put in glass cases!I will never listen or read about saints n the list goes on.

2. Actively pursue 6 pillars

                 I will never probably hear about something called personal prayer!I will never think of studying Word of God or apply it in my daily life.I will never start searching for an elder for counsel or pastor for confession when i come to a new place.I will never find the nearest Catholic church or the mass timings there to go for daily mass. I will never ask anyone about a weekly fellowship or think of starting one in my region.

3. Telling the story of Jesus & sharing your faith story

                If there is no jy telling the story of Jesus will always be encased in a big glass case called 'evangelization' and sharing my faith story in another one called 'Mission'. I will always reserve these things for those who are completely dedicated for this kinda job called missionaries. I will never think of giving my one yr or playing with my job or career for mission as we always belief that leading a good life is more than enough. I will never realize that every catholic is called to do mission and that there is no goodness without following Jesus.

4. Company of people who seek the will of God

                 I will never find these set of alien people who always thrive for holiness and tries to seek the will of God. They are not born saints but are weak human beings but with a strong determination and courage to become the saints of third millennium thereby responding to the call of Pope John Paul 11. They are so crazy that they will always consult the Holy Spirit before making the smallest decision in their life. They always seek the love of Father God, pray for the grace of Jesus Christ and let themselves be guided by the Holy Spirit.

5. Witnessing life in all realms of society

                 I can't sit jobless just because i don't dance,sing,preach,teach or pray. Even the most 'useless' of the 'world' are very useful for JY. If I can talk,smile or just listen to someone I am more valuable than the most talented in Jesus Youth. I can be a Jesus Youth not only inside church or parish hall but am a joyful contradiction in my college arts club,local politics,office meetings,when I play,when i ride bike,when i watch movies,when i joke or even when i post or update in facebook/twitter.

In short i would have missed out all the above things which makes my life so full and joyful that I will never consider not being a Jesus Youth if I am ever given the choice. In fact one thing i regret the most is that JY didn't start teens ministry when i was in school.

Missing Jubilee Conference - the biggest gathering of JYs on planet earth...NEVER!