This afternoon, after school, two of my students stopped by my office and proceeded to spend the next hour and a half shooting the breeze with me. We talked about life, Jesus, my class, Ramen noodles (which they found in a cabinet and promptly made use of), and general nonsense. I told them about the diet that I'm on (more on that later) and they told me about their work-outs.
It was all pretty low key, yet there was something else about it, something new. It never fails to surprise me, the novelty of Christ, which is his presence in anything that is new and draws the human heart toward a more true position, exposing desire in it's most authentic form. In the Book of Revelation, John tells us that in his vision Christ says, "Behold, I makes all things new." (Revelation 21:5) I was a witness to this "happening" which can be seen as the first moment in a new friendship. One which has no possible explanation for itself except that He is.
I remember a colleague of mine once saying that the problem with some teachers is that they wanted to be their student's friend. I found it bothersome then, and repulsive now, that this would be considered a bad thing. I guess the common mentality would assume that adults and teenagers should not have friendships and any relationship between teenagers and adults is always perceived as suspect, riddled with innuendo and suspicion. Either the adult is immature or wickedly intentioned, and therefore dangerous in each case, or the teen is presumptuous or needy (and therefore a loser).
Yet, it seems that what a "teen culture" needs more than anything is friendships with adults, real adults, who don't just want some simple, immature "re-living" of their youth, but a genuine educative friendship which moves toward the Destiny of each friend. When Giussani founded Gioventu Studentesca in Milan in the 1950's, it wasn't out of some desire to found a youth group, rather it was the natural outpouring of a friendship that developed between him and his students.
Father Giussani has himself said that he never started out in order to found something. In fact, I think even if a Movement hadn't been born from this, he would have been happy. Christ is not communicated by a program or a solution dreamed up to help young people. This isn't true in my experience either. I don't want someone who comes to offer me the next great solution to my existential dilemma, I want someone who can be with me in this, who loves me through this, who cares for me in spite of it. I want a friend.
And, so do young people. It is not without reason that John Paul II continually referred to us as "My dear young friends." This position is the only authentic one, the one that does not begin from a position of suspicion, but rather an invitation to staying with us, living with us, and in turn living with Him, because he is made present in the world through us. And every time he is made present, something new happens, a novelty.
And so, the novelty of a friendship with two students begins. And He is. And I am glad.
They didn't want a friend, they wanted to steal your freakin' ramen noodles... You got punked bro!
Posted by: Elisabetta Z | Oct 19, 2007 at 03:05 PM
Probably . . . but greater things have come from more scurrilous beginnings . . . like the guy who climbed a tree to see who the guy getting all the attention was (probably so he could tax him later) only to find himself invited to host a dinner party for the man and his friends . . . doesn't matter how it starts on their part, but on my part I can't help but recognize something more true . . .
Posted by: Stephen | Oct 20, 2007 at 12:49 AM
I love you and your ability to link a twinkie with an encounter with Christ... Disturbing in a good way... Inflicting the comfortable who look at a twinkie and just see a twinkie...
Posted by: Elisabetta Z | Oct 23, 2007 at 09:56 AM
So did the friendship grow? And you won best new blogger 2005, and yet you blog periodically :)?
Posted by: Jane | Jan 03, 2008 at 01:59 PM