World Youth Day Themes
Blogged by James Preece on 17th December 2008
My unhappiness with the themes for Catholic youth work in the UK is well documented. "Be the change you want to see in the world..." (Ghandi), "Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great..." (Mandella) and "I am because we are..." (Ubuntu) are not exactly brimming with Christological significance.
Instead they betray a semi-pelagian humanist underpinning. We need to change ourselves. The sanctifying grace of God is nowhere to be seen. Baptism? Communion? Confession? These things are not for us! We will change ourselves! We will be great! We are because we are!
Anyways... thought you might like to see the themes that Pope Benedict has chosen for the next three World Youth Days...
Benedict XVI is inviting youth to celebrate the next two World Youth Days at the diocesan level, leading up to a culmination in the 2011 Madrid event.
A statement from the Holy See affirmed that the Pope picked event themes for the '09 and '10 youth days, "so as to help build a spiritual itinerary that will culminate in the World Youth Day celebrations scheduled to take place in Madrid, Spain."
The theme of the 2009 World Youth Day, which will be celebrated next Palm Sunday in Rome and in each diocese, is: "We Have Set Our Hope on the Living God" (1 Timothy 4:10).
In 2010, the celebration will also be held on Palm Sunday in all dioceses, with the theme: "Good Teacher, What Must I do to Inherit Eternal Life?" (Mark 10:17).
These celebrations will lead up to the international World Youth Day in Madrid, scheduled for Aug. 16-21, 2011, with the theme: "Rooted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith" (Colossians 2:7).
[link]
Notice how none of them are inspired by third world humanist philosophies. Notice how they are all of them based on scripture.
Yay the Pope.
They also work quite well with Bishop Drainey's "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16) meetings with young people in Hull.
Yay the Bishop as well...
