On this episode of Footsteps to Heaven, Terry Modica talks with John Beaulieu, the founder of Romans 5:5, a ministry committed to “Renewing the Church – One Soul at a Time,” about what attracts young #GenZ men to the Catholic Church and how to encourage them in faith.
From Strength & Spirit: Encouraging Young Men to Live for Christ
John Beaulieu:
You know, what does it take to have a relationship with Jesus?
It requires learning how to enter into silence. You have to enter into intimacy with God, and that intimacy isn’t found in the noise, the excitement, or the constant bombardment of the world. It’s found in the ability to still your heart before God, to recognize that still, small voice of the Lord speaking into your heart.
That’s a skill even many adults struggle with. Today’s 20-somethings, 30-somethings, and beyond have been so profoundly shaped by technology—how they perceive the world, how they listen to the world. That constant influence changes everything.
So now, coming to the Lord is more countercultural than ever, not just from a moral standpoint, where the world says, “Do whatever feels good, whatever works for you.” The Church says something different: that there is a path, a truth, and a life found in Christ and in His teachings.
Even saying, “I’m going to learn how to be quiet,” is countercultural. Choosing to detach from the world and not be constantly plugged in—that’s radical today.
When I work with young people and try to teach them how to pray, they’ll often come in saying, “Okay, I want to quiet myself. I want to hear God.” But they’ve already been plugged into the internet and social media for hours. They’re processing so much data, even if they don’t realize it. That bombardment of information leads to overload, making it difficult to find peace. Their minds are still trying to catch up and digest everything they’ve consumed.
That’s why I always say: if you want to eliminate distractions in prayer, it starts well before you get on your knees. We need to unplug ahead of time if we truly want to be present to the Lord.
This is one of the biggest cultural challenges young men and women face today—learning how to enter into God’s presence and truly experience the personal intimacy He desires with each of us.