Youth Theology Institute

In you, I see the Good

I spent the past ten days working, living, and praying with students from Los Angeles area Catholic high schools and parishes. Guided by the Jesuit Marymount tradition and the theology professors of Loyola Marymount University, we pondered deep theological questions regarding our own faith, the Bible, and life's injustices.

With my small group each day, I asked them for their highs and lows, the best and worst moments of every adventure we had. Sometimes, the highs were simple - the lunch we ate, the moment when the cloud relieved us from the hot sun, the smiles from strangers along the streets of downtown LA.  Other times, their highs exposed their findings of the week - one student remarked that she never realized the extent or variety of Catholic culture, while another mentioned never having so much fun exploring the Bible as he did this week. Their lows ranged from over-exhaustion to heat exhaustion to heartbreak over the condition of homeless teenagers.

My own highlights of the past week and a half evolved as my group adjusted and modulated the theological practices of LMU. On the first day, my group was painfully quiet, and I took them along the bluff to show them the sacramentality of the world's beauty, that God can be found even among the hustle and bustle of the LA lights.

On Sunday morning before the busy week, I went to the 10am Mass at LMU where I sang with the choir I miss so much every weekend at home. Then, during the week, I was able to sing again for the Youth Theology Institute Mass. Watching my group members attend and participate in the optional service made my heart swell with joy.

On Wednesday, the halfway point of the program, we visited Homeboy Industries, a non-profit organization in downtown LA. Started by Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest, Homeboy is the world's largest program for gang intervention and rehabilitation, focusing on the education and job training necessary for former gang members to re-enter society in a healthy way. My favorite moment of my entire week occurred here. I was talking to a homie, as they are affectionately called, explaining the meaning of LMU and YTI. The entire time I talked, he shifted uncomfortably from side to side and would not look me in the eye. Just before my group was about to move on, he looked up and said, "I just wanted to tell you that you're really pretty."

Looking around Homeboy, I saw all of these people who are constantly stereotyped - as brutes, as emotionless, as killers, as good-for-nothing gang members whose place is prison - and yet, this young man went out of his way to welcome me and compliment me in the sweetest way. An added bonus, he did not use the word cute. My heart filled with so much love for these people who have committed themselves to making the world a better place for their children, their younger siblings, and for me.

On Thursday, we visited a Creole Catholic and an Arab Catholic parish. Both communities welcomed all 100 of us with open arms, homemade food, and dancing. Being a dance major myself, I simply loved watching everyone dance together and enjoy themselves. What a beautiful way to pray.

Throughout the whole week, the high school students I encountered inspired me with their thoughtful questions and musings about theology. Their acceptance and kindness shone as we visited strangers and those broken from injustice. These students mediated God for me; in them, I saw the greater Good that I constantly strive for, and this taught me more than they will ever know.