It is no secret that, by the law of life, young people are the future of the Church. And it is also no secret that many of them turn away from a true encounter with God because the Christian life is presented to them not in an attractive way but rather as a burden and a bore. Joaquín and Bernabé, priests of the San Clemente Romano parish in Villaverde Bajo, have racked their brains to find a way to put young people in front of the Eucharist. And let Him do the rest. It is essential to provoke the first encounter in a way that connects with the young people of today. And then we will educate that the feeling or the interior experience is not the first thing. If we limit ourselves to insisting on obsolete methods that do not attract, the churches will remain empty.
What is the Worship?
The Worship is an adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, but not like the holy hours to which we are accustomed. It has a more charismatic and daring tone. They insist a lot on the importance of praying with music, discovering in the lyrics and rhythms the breath of the Holy Spirit that wants to say something to those present. They also reinforce the visual experience, for example, playing with the lights. Something great is happening, because Christ is present in the midst of everyone, and they want to transmit it through the senses.
"We seek an integral experience of encounter with the Lord that embraces body and soul in its entirety".Bernabé, a recently ordained priest, tells us. It is not only a moment of prayer, but there is also an initial moment of animation and a testimonial part.
A path in crescendo
The road is in crescendoThe moment of placing oneself before Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, which is the culmination of the WorshipThe English word to refer to worship. They want to emphasize that style that is being given in Lifeteen in the United States and which is producing so many fruits of conversions and vocations among adolescents and young people. "We wanted to do this type of worship with a more sober, more western style, which was not so common. There is the Charismatic Renewal, but it has a more Latin character. The underlying desire is to learn to pray with the body: some moments we pray standing, we are invited to open our hands, kneeling, sitting.
The purpose is to generate a certain continuity: "we will try to do it monthly or bimonthly.". Joaquín, the parish priest, and Bernabé, his vicar, confessed with enthusiasm: "We want it to be the apostolate of the youth of our parish, so that people can come and enjoy what we are living here, the family, the home that we are generating around the Lord in this community.. The group that organizes and prepares these adorations is part of the group of young university students and professionals. There is a lot of work in the background so that everything goes well, like a welcoming team that receives all those who arrive and accommodates them. They even make bracelets for them. "It is a global experience of encounter with Jesus Christ and not a mere adoration or holy hour.".
A "plus" for young people
One of the young people who take care of all the details with care and affection is Carlos García Taracena, 29 years old. He recognizes that we are used to total silence and sobriety in the forms, something that helps so many people. He thinks that this initiative of the Worship brings a plus to young people: "has brought us to a living God who allows us to express our love for Him corporately.". Remember that we come from something less sensory and this can be surprising. But for Carlos, the experience of so many young people confirms that those who have prayed in this way have felt the person next to them as a sister. "You feel Christ more alive when you pray as a family."he confesses. The task of his group is to make this moment an authentic encounter with God for the young people who attend: "we accompany with beautiful music, but not labored by hours of rehearsal but by praying together as we sing.". That's the key: Worship is not a musical show but a privileged moment of encounter with Jesus Christ.
