Who likes poking fun at their parents for their old music? I know I do! My parents grew up in the 1970s and 80s, and my dad especially listens to all kinds of stuff that sounds NOTHING like the music that's on the radio today. Bands with funky names like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, and Fine Young Cannibals (then again, we have some pretty strange band names today, too). Now, don't hear what I'm not saying, this stuff is not bad music. I'm just saying that it sounds different than what we're used to today, and isn't necessarily a young person's first listening choice.
Now with all that being said, I'm going to talk about one of those "old" songs (apologies to anyone who's reading this and feeling super old themselves). The song is called Land of Confusion, and it came out in 1986. There's a link to the (kinda creepy) music video below, but the song itself is definitely worth checking out! Interestingly enough, the band who released it was called Genesis! If that's not a good enough reason to view their song through the lens of faith, I don't know what is. Fun fact, the lead singer of Genesis is Phil Collins, the guy who did the music for Tarzan! He's also responsible for the coolest measure of drums EVER (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkADj0TPrJA go to 3:07, just trust me).
But okay, why does this song matter? A lot of people, myself included, say that this is a really difficult time for the Church. But why is that? I would argue that the biggest problem the Church faces today, the one that's the root cause of many other problems, is that the world is in a state of intense and dangerous confusion. Confusion about what's important in life, confusion about what the Church actually teaches on hot-button issues, confusion on just about everything! As the pre-chorus of Land of Confusion goes, "There's too many men, too many people, making too many problems, and there's not much love to go around."
Now, I could sit here and rant about how crazy and confused the world is all day, but that wouldn't do us any good. Instead, our question is clear: what do we do about it? Genesis has us covered there, too! The chorus is as follows: "Now, this is the world we live in, and these are the hands we're given. Use them and let's start trying to make it a place worth living in." I find that kind of powerful! The world is the world. It is flawed and imperfect, and that's how it's supposed to be.
As Catholics, we believe that the Earth is simply a dim reflection of eternal life in Heaven. If that's the case, it makes sense that things are kinda rough down here sometimes! I think we're called to take a cue from Genesis (the band, as well as the book) and do something about it. Instead of griping about how much the world stinks, or how many people have left the Church, we should work to make things better! Volunteer at Mass, work to live out the teachings of Christ in your every day life as an example to others, even join your local youth group (gee, wonder where that could be).
The world is flawed, and will remain flawed. That ain't changing. What can change is us! Jesus tells us that His kingdom is "not of this world," and we are therefore called to bring His kingdom TO this world. One last line from Land of Confusion: "We're not just making promises that we know we'll never keep." Amen to that! We profess each Sunday that we are Catholics and that we aim to live out the teachings of Christ. Saying it is one thing, but actually doing it? Letting our faith direct our life decisions instead of merely influencing them? That's easier said than done.
I gave you a couple of examples earlier, but only you can decide how to live out your faith and make the world a better place. That's the beauty of Catholicism, there are infinite ways to live out your faith for the Glory of God! That's one of the main focuses of this Youth Ministry program, to help you find ways to express and live out your faith that work for YOU, personally! Ways to rise above this "Land of Confusion" and show the world what it means to be a Disciple of the Living God. That fires me up, and my prayer is that it will fire you up in your faith as well.
See you soon and God Bless,
Regis
Land of Confusion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq7FKO5DlV0