Youth tackle love songs in view of theology

Intermountain Catholic

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Father Rick Sherman

By Father Rick Sherman

RICHFIELD — Some of the teens at St. Elizabeth’s Parish in Richfield and St. Jude’s Mission in Ephraim have been participating in the "Theology of the Body for Teens" program over the past several months in their respective communities. One of the recent sessions was particularly interesting in illustrating an insight most of us probably already have, but perhaps have not given much further thought.

The students were asked to name their three favorite love songs and write down the lyrics. Then they were asked to consider these songs in light of what they have been learning in Theology of the Body the last several weeks.

At St. Jude, the group of 12 youth, half boys and half girls, found it difficult to choose just three love songs. They quickly began writing down the words in Spanish and English and then shared (and sang!) them with each other. Not surprisingly, there were many lyrics such as "Baby, I can’t live without you," "I’m nothing without you," and "You’re my soul and my heart’s inspiration." There were "I want to be your Superman" and other such displays of life-giving and life-saving expressions of love. Actually, most of the songs were refreshingly benign compared to what may have come out given the tenor of so many rock and rap genres.

It was easy to evaluate the songs theologically and see how common was the idea of two people being saturated with each other, with little or no reference to the God who is the real source and object of their love. One girl remarked that one of her songs had been her favorite for at least five years. She was 16 years old. That means that this particular love song has been bouncing around in a very privileged part of her heart and interior world since she was about 11. Powerful stuff.

Marketers and ‘artists’ of all types have been surgically sophisticated in learning how to access the inner regions of our lives where words and tunes and images flourish, often without our completely conscious approval. Love songs stick because we are made for love and made in the image and likeness of Love. Who is forming the inner lives of our children and providing them with the language of love? Who has logged the most hours of love language? How many conversations have you had with your teens about their interior life?

These questions need to be addressed in a much more deliberate and courageous way if we are going to pass along the Catholic faith and the true meaning of love. Give "Theology of the Body for Teens" a look (Ascension Press).

Fr. Rick Sherman is a mission priest in central Utah.