CHILE, vía ACIprensa •
As part of the preparations for the Youth Synod which Pope Francis has called for 2018, Chile is launching the book “Una fe que encanta y aunque duela, no espanta” (faith that enchants and even though it hurts, it doesn’t frighten), published by Catholic journalist Trinidad Ried.
Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, presented in a question and answer format, this book tries to answer the questions that many young people have about the faith in an accessible way.
According the author, the work “seeks to be an incentive to renew the faith of our young people” and is a contribution to the Youth Synod and Pope Francis’ visit to Chile.
Trinidad Ried is married, the mother of six children and a journalist at the Catholic Pontifical University of Chile. Together with her family, she founded the Santa Cruz de Chicureo College and has been involved in the education, writing and transmission of the faith for 20 years.
In a statement to ACI Prensa, Ried pointed out that the youth of today “are being greatly challenged because although they appear to have many opportunities, in they reality are very alone.”
“They greatly lack a higher purpose and many of them, whether they are aware of this or not, experience inner dissatisfaction,” she said.
On the other hand, Ried said that “more than any other generation, they are ‘intoxicated,’ that is filled with information, noise, Whatsapp, Instagram, Facebook, and they lack what they are lacking something that lets them filter all that, and learn how to navigate this ocean of uncertainty.
In this regard, “the faith seen as a daily and permanent experience, which provides a meaning that is deeper than the vision or worldly understanding we experience, is the best answer that we can give to the youth of today.”
“Faith is what can give the young people of today this enthusiasm and passion for life, to continue fighting, which is the characteristic of youth, but which in some way has today been diminished with the lack of purpose and transcendence,” she said.
Speaking about the Bishops’ synod on youth, Ried said that Pope Francis will receive a copy of the book in November.
Ried told ACI Prensa that her book aims to show how as Church, “we can to enter into dialogue and consider their way of understanding reality, taking into account their opinions, and above all, take responsibility and work together.”
In order to create ties to the youth, the “Church should be a great place for listening, respect and love. And this love must be both effective and affective, so that they can feel it, enjoy it, so that we don’t just talk about it but that they can truly feel our love for them,” she concluded.
For more information about the book “Una fe que encanta y aunque duele, no espanta” from Nueva Patris Publishers, click here [website in Spanish].
Original: Spanish, 27 October. Translation: Sarah-Leah Pimentel, Cape Town, South Africa
Schoenstatt.org’s contribution to the Synod:
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