The innocence of youth

 

I wonder what advice you would give to your younger self. Think back to your late teens or twenties and the things you did then; what would you like to have done differently? What advice would you give to you the teenager or twenty something?

I would tell my younger self that sometimes some women, or ladies, can be very unreasonable. This happened to me when I was dating a beautiful fellow worker. I was about 22 and she was the same age. We'd been out together once or twice to the cinema and we were in the early stages of getting to know each other.

So I invited her to my place for a meal. I looked forward to it all week; and she said so was she. On the Saturday she turned up looking the most glamourous I'd ever seen her. She was wearing a brand new red dress which she had bought for the occasion and matching red earrings and red shoes. She reminded me of the song Lady in Red by Chris de Burgh. Do you know the song? I'll never forget the way she looked that night. My Lady in Red.

Then she spoiled it all by point blank refusing to cook. There was a football match on TV I wanted to watch and she refused to cook. Don't you think she was being unreasonable? It's not every day my favourite team is on TV.

She got angry and started crying. She said she looked forward to a romantic candle lit dinner and I don't know what else she wanted. I searched for a couple of candles from the cupboard under the kitchen sink, and she cried all the more.

I suggested I phone for pizzas; but that didn't help either. She wanted to leave and asked me to phone her a taxi.

I offered her a packet of potato chips to pacify her and she threw it back at me crushing all the bits inside. 

She would not stop crying whilst the game was on TV until the taxi came. She left slamming the door behind her.

On Monday at work she'd told all her friends and they gave me a hard time as if it was my fault.

If I could I would advise my younger self to get it in writing what my girl-friend expects when invited for a romantic dinner.

Don't you think she was unreasonable?

A Young Problem

Here's a problem, or dilemma, which is open for discussion and suggestions from all of you dear readers.

Simply put: How do we attract young people to church?

As you know, young people always know best. By the time they are 19 they know everything there is to know in the world and beyond, and they are not open to suggestions, advice or coercion from any old foggy aged over 35.

If you visit our church, (and other churches too around here), you'll find the average age of the attendants is well over 50.

I don't know whether this is only a Catholic thing, or whether it happens to other denominations too.

Are we Catholics that boring? Or is it perhaps our use of incense that puts the youngsters off?

The long and short of it is that they don't attend church. We've tried encouraging parents to bring youngsters in, and indeed we do have those under ten or twelve, but above that age ... not many.

We've tried visiting universities and colleges ... not much success there either.

Someone suggested, (was it me?), to give away free pizzas after Mass. (You can guess the response to that).

So ... it is now over to you.

How do you encourage young people aged 18 to 25, who would soon be parents and influencing the next generation, to attend church regularly?

Yes ... we've tried prayers ...  so please suggest something else.