Young adult Lent retreat focuses on joy

Friday, Mar. 27, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — A dozen young adults gathered March 22 at Christ the King Parish in Cedar City for the Diocese of Salt Lake City Young Adult Lenten Retreat. 

Dominican Father Jeffrey Ott, the keynote speaker, had as his topic “On the Joy of Discipleship.” Fr. Ott is pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Atlanta, Ga. 

During the afternoon, Fr. Jeffrey discussed a number of issues, relating most of them to Pope Francis’ ministry.

For example, he said that one of Pope Francis’ goals is to have the Church be “a field hospital,” using a term the Holy Father has applied to the Church. 

“There are many injured and wounded in this world,” Fr. Jeffrey said as he began a discussion on how those present could communicate the message of Jesus Christ, “to love God and love your neighbor.”

Some commentators have expected Pope Francis to change Church doctrine, but Fr. Jeffrey said he doubts that will happen, although the Bishop of Rome has shifted the Church’s emphasis toward mercy rather than law.

“The way we apply Catholic doctrine makes all the difference,” Fr. Jeffrey said.

In communicating the Church’s message, there is a difference between evangelizing and proselytizing, Fr. Jeffrey said. By virtue of baptism Catholics are called to engage in the ministry of Jesus Christ, but people can do that without changing who they are, he said.

“God does not want you to be different from who you are,” he said. “Grace works with who you are. You’re not called to be somebody different first, before grace can work through you in terms of being an evangelizer. … God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called.”

While discussing ways to communicate the message of Jesus – “love God and love your neighbor” – those gathered shared their strengths and challenges in being Christ’s disciples. 

Fr. Jeffrey acknowledged that caring for others can be difficult in what Pope Francis has referred to as a “throw-away” culture, but he urged those at the retreat to be aware of the power that they have and how they use it.

Throughout his talk, Fr. Jeffrey used images that came from Pope Francis: for example, that pastors are called to take on the smell of the sheep.

“He meant that for us priests, but he also meant that for all of us in the Church; that we are called to be with people; to suffer with them sometimes, to walk in solidarity with them sometimes,” Fr. Jeffrey said. “We are called to be a church that transforms.”

The purpose of the retreat was to offer young adults an opportunity to gather for Lent, to learn more about their faith and be in community with each other, said Samantha Almanza, the diocesan director of youth and young adult ministry.

Mystica Montoya, president of the Southern University of Utah Newman Club said she enjoyed the retreat and gained some useful information.

“It was really great to hear other people’s thoughts and opinions and connect them to my own,” Montoya said, adding that she appreciated learning many different ways to communicate the faith.

Paul Maxey, a Newman Club member, said he enjoyed Fr. Jeffrey’s singing. 

“It would be amazing to go to church and have someone sing like that, and to really bring to life the praise behind the singing,” said Maxey, who also said he appreciated the discussion about the difference between evangelizing and proselytizing. Sometimes people can get lost in proselytizing, he said, but “God might be calling us to evangelize and not proselytize at all.”