Beyond the Sun
This generation is facing a challenge humankind has never faced before. The transcendence is replaced more and more by the visible, by what strikes the sight. God seems to be left out of the equation of life. The issue of the salvation of the soul seems an old and useless religious myth. On the other hand, there are some who are very fond of rituals and traditions. Consequently they are now suspended somewhere between religion and routine. The spirit of the time urges us to live free from any religious constraints. We are living in the middle of a historicized society which paradoxically wants to function morally but without the One who is the heart of morality. It is as if we sufficed to ourselves and the solution of "salvation" belongs to us. In spite of the fact that man is always the centre of attention, in reality a striking contrast can be noticed. Man cannot save himself. This is why, as far as the divine is concerned, the coming of the Lord in a human flesh, His Sacrifice and His Resurrection were necessary and unavoidable. The young people of this generation are also caught between the limits of disbelief and conscience. They are confronted with so many alternatives that so few find the essential answers they are looking for. Being young means to dream, to nourish the most beautiful feelings and especially to find answers to the important questions of life. It is here that we win the fight or we lose it. Youth is the most beautiful stage of life because in this period the strongest convictions find root and define themselves. We find in the Bible young people such as Joseph, Joshua, Daniel who, despite all the privileged circumstances they found themselves in, they knew how to live because they had discovered from early childhood what is "beyond the sun". They had met the One who exists within Himself and then had decided to give their lives to Him, serving Him more than their own lives. Great battles have taken place in their lives when they were very young. The young people of our generation live in ignorance because they do not know where to search and because so many times there is nobody to support them in their quest with all their heart. The wise Solomon asked a question that is still valid today over the centuries and should vibrate deeply into our ears: Who is as the wise and understands the purpose of things? How to fight to keep our path straight? Which could be the solution to the crisis we are living in nowadays? How could this generation find again the source of life beyond the sun?
Mihai Cabau -a moralist professor