Niedziela w opinii młodzieży

Abstract

John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter Dies Domini reminds us that one of the constitutive elements of the Christian Sunday is the Eucharist. However, it turns out that only half secondary school pupils from the biggest urban centres in Poland participate in the Sunday Holy Mass. Research done in Łódź - the second biggest city in Poland, second only to Warsaw as far as population is concerned - has shown that young people treat the obligation to participate in the Sunday Eucharist first of all in the juridical way. And although more than 4/5 admits that there is a duty concerning the Sunday Holy Mass, not participating in it is connected with a sense of sin in less than half the respondents, with a sense of deep sin - in 1/4, and 1/3 does not consider absence from the Mass a sin at all. The motive of participation in the Holy Mass for almost half the studied young people is inner need, which, unfortunately, is not too often identified with the state of emotions. Dispensing themselves from participation in the Sunday liturgy young people frequently mention the typical arguments concerning the priests or lack of time. This situation leads to conclusions that give some hope for development of liturgical life. If half the young people from Łódź or Warsaw take part, even though not regularly, in the Sunday Eucharist, the parish liturgy proves to be a broad environment for preaching kerygma to young people. The Sunday Holy Mass aided by the school catechesis comprising all young people (apart from only a few percent) creates the best basis for permanent evangelisation. The few per cent decrease in the ones systematically participating in the Sunday Holy Mass compared with the more than ten percent increase in the catechesis participants among young people since the time when religion returned to schools clearly confirms the conclusion that even the best religion lessons in school will not replace the living Church’s liturgy and its evangelising dimension. Hence, treating preparation for confirmation as continuing the initiation catechesis gives a particular opportunity. It is worth using aid from movements evangelising young people, such as the widely known Light-Life Movement. Active involvement in preparation and conscious participation in liturgy will result in fruitful participation (DD 51) and hence in dynamism of new evangelisation.