Anyone who knows me knows that I cannot stand pop music. Unfortunately pop music is so ingrained in our culture however; it is simply impossible to avoid it. My great dislike of pop music gives me a strong abhorrence to pop concerts.
Over the past few years I have had the unfortunate privilege of being invited by friends to attend a few concerts as a VIP. A couple of years ago I attended the Taylor Swift Fearless tour in St. Louis as a favor to a friend who is friends with Taylor. I could not help but stand back stage and wonder what it is about artists like Taylor Swift that brings young people to tears and to the point of hysteria. As I listened to the words of her songs I realized all of her lyrics revolved around being in love. As I continued to listen to the words I was transformed back to a year prior when I was standing in the wings of a Justin Bieber concert and I remembered the audience going crazy over his song “One Less Lonely Girl.”
The experiences of these two pop concerts made me realize the youth in our world want to love and be loved. The good news is there are no lonely girls and every human person has his or her own love story. We need to open our eyes to the truth that all of us are beloved sons or daughters or daughters of God the Father. Those desires for love promised by pop stars, yet seem so far away, are realities in our lives if only we open ourselves up to receiving the infinite love of the Father.
Imagine the how vast the crowds of youth flocking to Church would be if only they understood that they were already loved in the way far greater than these pop songs could ever imagine to promise. If we want to evangelize the youth we need to work to spread the message that their love story is already written and there are in fact no lonely girls. The desire for love exists in our culture we simply need to harness that power and lead the youth to the truth that the only satisfying love, the love of the Father is already offered to them.
Through The Cross To Light 