This summer I was approached by a supporter of the Southeast Missouri State Catholic Campus Ministry who shared her observations about how enthusiastic and faithful our students are. “They're so engaged!”, she said. Then came the big question, “How? How are students at Southeast Missouri State University, a secular campus, so on fire with an ardent love of the Catholic faith?" Reflecting on this question, my heart kept returning to Theology of the Body.
College students are faced with a vicious identity crisis in which they are being lured into believing that they aren't worth more than a hook-up. They're desperately seeking love, but are often following a map that leads to nowhere. Many students have been saturated with the false idea that they are not worthy of another's sacrifice, they have nothing great to offer anyone and life is nothing more than filling voids with temporary highs over and over again. How do we combat these lies? How do we help them recognize their own worth and dignity? How can they see that Jesus Christ is the answer to their desires for love and happiness? Asking these questions led to bringing Blessed John Paul II's Theology of the Body into the heart of our ministry and transforming the hearts of students.
You can read Kristen's entire piece here.
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