Young Adults and Lenten Prayer Service

This review is of a lenten prayer service called Prayer and Soup held on
Wednesdays, at St. Lawrence O’Toole parish in Matteson, Illinois. During
lent, two lay ministers in the parish head-up a prayer service to enhance
the lenten journey and to provide fellowship. The music minister also
assists with the service.

The prayer service begins at 6:00 p.m. with an opening song. Then the
group moves into a psalm (this past week it was Psalm 130). The Sunday
Gospel is used, this past week it was Mark 9:2-10. The service continues
with reflection, petitions, closing prayer, and a closing song.
The lay ministers lead the service, but all guests participate. The various
sections are read with distinct pauses to offer a time for reflection. The
atmosphere is decorated with purple, a cross and candles. The service is
approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

After the service is completed, the group shares soup, bread and
fellowship. A couple of people volunteer to bring soup, bread and
beverages. This is where relationships and community are formed.
Overall, I like the soup and prayer service ideology. Its an awesome way to
increase one’s lenten journey; to get closer to Christ. Its also a good way to
become community.

In reviewing the following text, Passing on the Faith, Transforming
Traditions for the Next Generation of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, by
James Heft, S.M., and others, Fordham University Press: New York, 2006,
(sections 4 and 6), the authors note that young adults, ages 18 - 30 are
more likely to describe themselves as “spiritual” as opposed to “religious.”

In section four, Brother John of Taize, discusses the spiritual quest of young
adults and how they are drawn to a tiny village in Burgundy, France, Taize.
The village is a monastic community that is involved with prayer three times
a day, they work to support themselves, and they offer hospitality to others
(page 149). The young adult visitors are enthralled with the spirituality, and
the Taize community lives their lives without making changes for the
visitors. That doesn’t seem to distract the visitors from continuing to flock to
Taize and joining in the communal life experience during their visit.
Brother John describes the experience at Taize as “freedom” (page 154)
and “simplistic” (page 157). The relationships at Taize are enveloped in
“trust” (page 159), just as the Gospel is rooted in trust. The Taize
experience is not marketed or advertised, it just is. The young adults find
Taize themselves.

In comparison, these same young adults are preoccupied with
consumerism, more than secularism (page 249). If they don’t find what they
need in one religion, they can “shop around” for what they want (page 257).
The world is very secular, pluralistic, and consumer driven. Young adults
have many choices and they are used to getting information quickly and in
various formats. They believe in God, but one that is removed and not
involved in daily life, and not involved in areas of life that the young adult
does not want God involved with (page 267).

In summary, we have two competing forces. This group, as a whole, is
putting off “life events” to later in life, compared to a generation ago. In a
pluralistic society, they can shop around for what they want. However, they
are intrigued by Taize, which is a very simple lifestyle, yet very powerful.
Would young adults like to participate in the Soup and Prayer service? I
think its a nice, simple way to invite young adults into prayer.

In Heft, we see that young adults “are touched by its (Taize) liturgical and
communitarian practices” (page 258). The prayer service just described
offers prayer and community. Heft also shows us that young adults like to
“discover things” and they prefer things that are “authentic” (page 263). In
the service described, there’s opportunity built-in for reflection, discovery,
and authenticity. Additionally, the service is not too long and structured that
individuality is lost. If the young adults in the area are willing to attend the
service, they will find a nice opportunity to pray and become community.