Live Greater A (Re) Defining Moment

Nov 19, 2007

You’re in the middle of an ocean. You wake up, realize where you are, and don’t have the slightest clue why you are there. Amnesia sets in. You don’t know your name and more importantly who you are.  Sound familiar? This is how the story of Jason Bourne started. He found himself in these circumstances and spent the next days, weeks, and months trying to figure out how he got there in the first place.

While we are not in the middle of an ocean and we are not suffering from amnesia, our story and the hit blockbuster series of Jason Bourne have a lot in common.

I propose that in this time and place, and in the culture we find ourselves in, we are at a pivotal point.  We wake up everyday, realize where we are, and don’t have the slightest clue as to how we got here. To add to that, we don’t know who we are anymore, and don’t know where to go to find ourselves.

Instead of trying to look for ourselves in the right places, we look in all the wrong places and wonder why we are still in the dark. See the parallels?

Perhaps there is no more important or popular question in relation to a human being than…”Who am I?” I was blessed to grow up with a great group of friends who were always there to support me when I needed them and hold me accountable when it was needed. Whenever I did something out of character or that was not me, one of them would invariably ask, “Who are you?!” I always thought it was a great question, but until I started to mature and grow I never really answered it, or wanted to answer for that matter.

My friends, everyday is a constant adventure in defining ourselves. The choices we make, the attitudes we have, and the people we surround ourselves with all play a part in that important question of who we are. We find ourselves in a tough battle for competing influences in our lives. The strongest influence that is defining our culture today can be defined in three letters…MTV.  If we want a culture of pleasure seeking, selfishness, scandal, materialism, minimalism, and Hollywood - they are our gig. They present to us a cheap imitation of happiness and too many people buy into it. Nor only have they pulled the plug on truth and reality and taken God out of everything, but they’re disguised sin as something beautiful and to be desired. They are accomplishing everything they have set out to do. Until now…

Right now, at this moment we are calling their bluff. They could not be more wrong in what they present to the world. Enough is enough and their time is up.

The reason this series is called “The Born Alternative” is because from this day forward we want to start the journey of redefining ourselves in this culture. The Born Alternative is Jesus Christ. Have you heard of him?  Through the incarnation, God became man and was BORN into the world.  Jesus came to save all people. He came to show us who we are, how to live, and what would make us truly happy.

In the face of MTV and the forces of our present culture, Jesus is the alternative. He is the one that stands in the face of opposition. He is the one that wants to define us and lead us to our true destiny…a life of greatness.

So knowing full well how MTV wants to define us, how are we defined by Jesus? I thought you would never ask! First and most importantly, we are sons and daughters of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “He who believes in Christ becomes a son of God” (paragraph #1709).  In this parent-child relationship, God has claimed us as his own and my friends He is a jealous God. He longs for us to follow and love him. In addition, and contrary to popular belief, our God is not a God of rules and regulations but a God of love and relationship. As our Father, He loves us unconditionally and will forever be faithful. The Catechism goes on to say, “This filial adoption transforms him by giving him the ability to follow the example of Christ. It makes him capable of acting rightly and doing good. In union with his Savior, the disciple attains the perfection of charity which is holiness” (1709). This relationship as sons as daughters of God transforms our whole way of life. When is the last time you stopped to recognize that you are a son or daughter of God?

In closing, Mission #1 in this battle we find ourselves in is…God vs. MTV. Everyday our troubled culture is competing and often succeeding in defining who we are as young people. My friends, I’ve got news for you, Jesus was here way before MTV and will last infinitely longer than them as well. He is the BORN alternative to the MTV culture and someone who proposes a life that is truly more satisfying and complete. He says, “I am the way the truth and the life” Right now at this moment, choose the “BORN” alternative, choose Jesus. We are sons and daughters of God, let’s live that way.

God Bless You!

In Him,

Rusty

Question of the week: So what side do you find yourself on in the battle? God or MTV? How does it make you feel to be a son or daughter of God?

Next Week: It is All About You.

 

Rusty is a Seminarian at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Seward, Nebraska and is the co-founder of Live Greater Ministries. The Ministry's aim is to invite the youth of the Church into a dialogue about the present culture and how Jesus invites us to a relationship with him, finding true happiness and greater purpose.  More information can be found on their website at www.livegreater.net.