God is a Fad

Once we had to wait an impossibly long time to get on the internet. Phones were attached to the wall. And DVD's had just come out - I distinctly remember asking my dad what "DVD" meant. And, of course, my dad liked to marvel at the idea of the DVD because, well, his family was the only one with a color television in the whole neighborhood.

New things happen, and old things go out of style. In fact, the idea of of the fad is a fun one because it's one of those things we're allowed to be smitten with for a short period of time. And we're totally allowed, expected even, to let go of it - to replace it with fun new things. For that matter, one of the funnest things to do with fads is look back upon them and remember how we never thought that they would be fads - thought that they would last forever. Or how we knew for sure that they were fads, but we didn't care, because they were fun.

Like silly bands. And jelly shoes. And slap bracelets.

Heh. Slap bracelets...

Here's the part where most people would say, "God is not a fad." But, let's be real: we already know that. That's something that we've been instructed in since we were children.

But think back to when you were a child: how much fun the idea of God was. Remember all that coloring you did on Bible stories? Remember all the crafts - Advent calendars and Easter eggs and All Saints' Day costumes? Maybe it was just me and the kids I grew up with, but we lost our minds for God, I mean, we could not get enough.

Here's the thing no one will tell you: God is a fad. I mean, He's not supposed to be, but we tend to treat Him that way, don't we? Think of the stereotypical kid your age, or the typical young adult. Is their faith fun for them? Do they get all giddy at the prospect of going to Mass? Of saying the Rosary or their daily prayers? I mean, how many of them do you think have touched a Bible within the past few months, let alone opened it?

It used to be fun. But now it's not exactly cool, right? That was then. New things happen and old things go out of style. Crafts are for children. We're not children anymore. If anything, maybe we look back fondly on them, the way we look back with smirking fondness on pop rocks and N'SYNC.

But why? This faith is one of the few things that has been around for centuries - the opposite of a fad. No matter how we feel about it (whether we're still totally immersed in it, are technically "church-going" but don't necessarily talk about it with others, or treat it like we treat bell-bottom jeans), this is not something that's going away. So this thing, this fad, is no fad at all. This is something that has been here for us since before we were even conscious that we needed something to be there for us. This is something that will be here for us long into our lives, and even after our lives. And even if we don't think of it this way or treat it this way, it's here for us now.

He is here for us now.

Let's not forget that, guys.

"And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

~ Matthew 28:20

Much love, and welcome to the new season of Youth Ministry at St. Johns!
Ceci Galvin
CYM, St. John the Evangelist