So let's recap; where were we? Oh yes! Wizard of Oz, New Springtime, alien shaking its' three heads, struck match.
Now read on!
I can recall a discussion where an acquantaince was telling me of his past involvement with a parish youth group. He attended every week, sang songs (accompanied by obligatory guitar), listened to and reflected upon passages of scripture, discussed with his peer group his experience of God and how it impacted on his life. A priest "facilitated" this youth group, the recollections of this person did not seem to allude to the reverend father actually saying much or guiding the young people in their exploration of the Faith. To cut a long story short this lad then went to work in London and when he saw the multitude of people, of different cultures and different faiths, he lost his. He reasoned thus; how could he be so sure of his faith when everyone else seemed so sure about their beliefs?
Perhaps the most telling comment was that his initial enthusiasm stemmed from the fact that this was the first time he had encountered his Faith. In other words he had gone through 14 years of "Catholic Education" and only when he had finished this, only when he stumbled across this youth group did he encounter a semblance of the Catholic religion. Too little, too late.
This is not an isolated example, this same story is repeated over and over ad infinitum. In every parish you will find maybe a handful of young people who will live their faith, "here , look here, new springtime" is the cry as the priest and the parish council gesture towards them. Yes but never a mention of the hundreds of others wandering in the desolation. The Church is accused of a lot of things, but perhaps the greatest crime perpetrated is the apparent willingness to condemn so many souls to damnation.
The betrayal starts on the first day of school.
