TEC Celebration

by The Most Reverend John C. Nienstedt

October 16, 2005

Introduction:

        Come!  Live in the light!

        Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!

        We are called to be light for the kingdom,

        to live in the freedom of the city of God!

        We are called to act with justice,

        We are called to love tenderly,

        We are called to serve one another,

        to walk humbly with God.

We are called to be God’s people and subsequently sent on mission as disciples of Jesus.  The initiative for this call and for this mission originates with God, not us.  God is the ever present, ever commanding Authority in the world.  He is real and a powerful force for bringing us to salvation in His Kingdom.

In the first reading from Isaiah, we hear God proclaim,

“It is I who arm you . . . so that toward the rising and the setting of the sun men may know that there is none besides me.  I am the Lord, there is no other.”

In the Gospel, Jesus is not making a case for strict Church-State relations, but rather saying that we must be discerning in obeying and respecting the authority due first to God and then to Caesar.  Rather than answering with an either/or as the Pharisees desired, Jesus allowed for a both/and, which puts his opponents’ argument on a different footing.

Finally, St. Paul is able to credit to God for the response of faith that the Thessalonians have given in love and hopefulness.  They responded to Paul’s preaching not because of any eloquence on his part, but because the Holy Spirit was behind those words drawing them to a profession of faith.

   
God is the Lord of our lives and there is no other but Him.

Within the context of these Scripture readings, then, we gather today to celebrate the 200th TEC retreat celebrated in the history of our Diocese.  At the same time, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of TEC nationwide.  Having observed Teens Encounter Christ firsthand in my participation in Retreat #188, I wish to thank Almighty God for the blessings that have come to so many through these week-end retreats.  Surely hearts have been converted and moved closer to the Lord Jesus.

The positive merits of TEC include its celebration of the Paschal Mystery, reliance on Sacred Scripture, its encouragement towards participation in the Sacraments and its communal, that is to say ecclesial, context.

TEC is programmed along the structure of conversion inherent in the Paschal Mystery of Jesus.  This is basically the rhythm of Holy Week: confrontation, dying and rising.  On the first day, the retreatant is asked to evaluate his/her life as a baptized Christian: what does that mean?  What have I done with the gift?  How have I interiorized the message?

On the second day, the retreatant is asked to acknowledge his/her own creatureliness: we are sinners, we are not perfect, we stand in need of God’s grace.  Can we die to self so as to live for Christ?

On the third day, we experience Christ’s Resurrection, the power of his new life, the strength to live anew as a renewed Christian disciple.

Within the context of these three days, the Scriptures provide the reference point for each retreatant’s reflection.  Everyone is encouraged to use the Scripture as a source of motivation and reflection.  A Bible is provided for each person which is personalized by the other retreatants before the end of the retreat.  It is hoped that this Bible will be the source of ongoing spiritual growth after the glow of the retreat lessons.

Thirdly, TEC seeks to deepen one’s appreciation of the Sacraments of Baptism, Penance and the Holy Eucharist.  It does so with the specific intention of motivating regular participation in those sacramental encounters with Christ.  Young retreatants, in particular, are guided in their deepened awareness of how each sacramental encounter can touch and transform his/her individual life.  This provides a solid foundation upon which to live the Sacraments throughout one’s life.

Finally, TEC takes place in the context of a specific community.  Each retreat is numbered and that becomes a source of identification for others who have made or will make a similar experience.  This aspect underlies the truth of Jesus assertion in St. Matthew’s Gospel that “where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in their midst.” (Mt 18:20)  This passage reminds us constantly that our practice of faith must be more than a “me and Jesus” arrangement.  We are called to be the Body of Christ and, as such, we have responsibility for the common good.  To that end, the communal nature of the TEC retreats serves a very important and foundational role.

There are other aspects of TEC, however, that are less clearly advantageous and need to be evaluated with a certain sense of vigilance.  I offer these reflections as one who has experienced the program and who hopes to keep it faithful to its Catholic identity.

The first of these aspects is the tendency for TEC to become an “elitist” movement.  The problem of elitism in the Church has been a problem since appearance of Gnosticism in the 2nd century after Christ.  Many Church movements tend to claim a corner of the spiritual market and, especially today in an altogether American spirit of competition, propose that this spiritual way is the preferred spiritual way.

This impression was given to me as I read the seventy or more letters that previous retreatants wrote me prior to TEC #188 and which I opened on day two.  While I was grateful for the spiritual support offered, I was quite frankly taken aback by the assertions made that on this retreat I would be meeting Jesus in a real way for the very first time.  As a priest for thirty years and a bishop for eight years, I found that statement somewhat disconcerting.  Could it not be possible that one has already had an experience of the Lord Jesus in a real way prior to the TEC experience?  Could it be that one who never had a chance to make a TEC could still come to know the Lord Jesus?  I think the point is that TEC may indeed be an avenue to experience the Risen Jesus, but it is not the only way.

Secondly, I am of the opinion that Msgr. Fedewa, the founder of TEC, was right in limiting participation in TEC to teens.  As you know, his inspiration for TEC came from adults who had made a Cursillo retreat.  They asked, “Msgr, why do our children need to wait until our age to have this kind of experience?”  As I experienced the schedule and rhythm of the retreat, it is masterfully designed with a young person in mind – one who is just coming to a first flowering of faith and who is discerning a life’s vocation.

Introducing adult retreatants into the mix places a burden on the program that simply does not fit.  Presumably, adults have had previous religious experiences, have already made significant commitments in their lives and are at a point of reflecting more substantially on where they have come from.  A retreat like Cursillo would be, in my opinion, more beneficial and more maturing for adult retreatants.

Thirdly, I did not find any resolve during my TEC experience to encourage its young participants to consider a vocation to priestly service or religious life.  In fact I found just the opposite.  If those attending our Riverbend TEC retreats are, in fact, the cream of the crop of our Catholic disciples, and I believe they are, then not challenging them to consider God’s call for a life-time of service is a missed opportunity indeed.  I have said from day one that, in this Diocese, vocations to the priesthood and religious life are our #1 priority.  That is our top spiritual goal and it needs to be included in planning all of our TEC experiences.

Obviously, God has done great things in the lives of those who have made the past 200 Riverbend TEC retreats.  And God, I am sure, will continue to do so.

But for all this to continue, God must be proclaimed as the Lord of our hearts as the Scriptures today encourage us to do.  Yes, give Caesar what is Caesar’s due, but render your primary allegiance to God:  For the Lord is God, there is none beside Him.

I congratulate Riverbend TEC on its 200th retreat and TEC National on 40 years of ministry.  I hope that some day, these retreats will be officially recognized by our Diocese.  But, until then, I pray that they will always be faithful to their Catholic legacy and roots.

        Come!  Sing a new song!

        Sing of the great day when all will be one!

        God will reign, and we’ll walk with each other,

        as sisters and brothers united in love!

        We are called to act with justice,

        We are called to love tenderly,

        We are called to serve one another,

        to walk humbly with God.