Book Review: Seeds of Hope: Young Adults and the Catholic Church in the United States by Tim Muldoon

Tim Muldoon is a theologian and assistant to the Vice-President for University Mission and Ministry at Boston College. His book Seeds of Hope (Paulist Press, 2008) is a reflection on the spiritual needs and aspirations of contemporary young adult Catholics and their relationship with the church. Muldoon has a keen interest in the topic of young adults and the church, and his experience with students at Boston College and elsewhere informs his portrait of the landscape of young adult spirituality.

The State of the Church. In his assessment of the state of the church, Muldoon paints a sobering picture. He asserts that among the youngest generation of Catholics there is widespread apathy and even antipathy toward the institutional church. The religious literacy of young adults is low. Many younger Catholics are critical of the “suburban comfortable Catholicism” (29) that they observe among middle-aged members of the church. Muldoon thinks that young adults are particularly concerned with issues of the economy and social justice, and they conclude that most Catholics are complacent about these urgent matters. He argues that what keeps many young adults Catholic is the sacramental imagination. They have a sensibility about the immediacy of God in the world, perceiving the depth to things in the real world.

Polarization. Articulating a theme he repeats throughout the book, Muldoon thinks that younger Catholics find themselves caught between competing views of the church espoused by liberal and conservative Catholics. Uninformed about the context of many of the disputed issues, they are not able to resonate with these sometimes vitriolic debates. In a particularly strong statement he argues that the most pronounced shortcoming of the contemporary U.S. Catholic church “is the entrenchment of attitudes formed in the wake of Vatican II that have poisoned the waters of the church today, such that they are no longer life-giving” (66). After years of tearing down the church’s structures and battling about the most appropriate ways to proceed, it is time to rebuild – to refocus energies on the needs of those who will be the future of the church. In an ecclesial climate of polarization, the church must assume the task of reconciliation if it is to move forward in a way that appeals to younger Catholics.

Catholic Social Justice Tradition. Muldoon argues that the church to which young adult Catholics will be attracted is one that develops and acts upon its rich tradition of social justice. The church must become a more prophetic church if it is to attract and retain the allegiance of young adults living in a consumerist society. It should exercise an authority built on prophetic witness that is “an authority of persuasive life in the world” (38). Muldoon concludes that Catholic social teaching represents the church’s sustained effort at making connections between the world people live in and the reign of God. This tradition invites young adults to reflect more deeply about the ways in which the ordinary world is permeated with ultimate questions. The author suggests that the U.S. church has something to learn from Asian Catholic churches, which exist as a minority but have made an impact through their focus on collaboration with others in the works of justice and mercy. In an increasingly globalized world -- with al of the ambiguous effects of globalization -- this is the kind of witness young adults will respect.

Young Adults as “Tinkerers”. Employing an image used by writers like Robert Wuthnow and Vincent Miller, Muldoon describes young adult Catholics as “tinkerers” in their practice of the faith. They try to piece together a coherent sense of their faith comprised of elements borrowed from many sources. Symbols that they find immediately compelling become part of their sense of the faith. Muldoon argues that this situation cries out for more effective faith formation. There must be an element of catechesis even in the teaching of theology. While many young adult Catholics manifest their “performative knowledge” of the tradition through activities like volunteer service, they are unable to see the relationship between these endeavors and the tradition of the church. They need help in making these connections.

Liturgy, Solidarity, and Sexuality. Muldoon’s study includes a lengthy chapter on liturgy. He argues that in its practice of liturgy the church needs to make compelling connections between Catholic identity and practice. Liturgy that helps young adults to understand and to be critical of their own lived experience has the possibility of transforming the way they look at the world. The celebration of the liturgy, then, should be a “schooling in solidarity” (112) – a mystagogy of communion that engenders a sense of solidarity with fellow believers and with brothers and sisters around the world. This sense of solidarity is especially important to young adults whose lives in a postmodern world are often characterized by fragmentation. Muldoon applies these observations to the young adult experience of sexuality. In a society where sexuality is driven by consumer desires, “a liturgy that celebrates the mystery of divine love by what it practices will be a force for healing those who suffer from the effects of market-created desire” (132).

Spirituality. In his reflections on spirituality, Muldoon reminds us that most young adults have not been taught how to pray. Many of the structures of spiritual discipline that older Catholics learned have not been passed on to the younger generation. He observes, “An important challenge for the Catholic community in the twenty-first century is to develop new structures that draw young people to cultivate their spiritual lives in the wider context of the church community, helping them to appropriate the role that good religions can play in the development of a faith community” (147).

Muldoon’s book provides a great deal of food for thought. It is certainly worth the read. In places he states his case in terms that are somewhat exaggerated. The connections he draws between liturgy and sexuality seem forced at times. Nonetheless, he succeeds in elucidating the attitudes and concerns of many contemporary young adult Catholics. The challenges that he poses to the church are worthy of serious consideration by pastoral leaders and every older Catholic. His work is particularly compelling in pointing out the “disconnect” between younger and older Catholics with regard to the ideological battles that have too often been fought since Vatican II. His call to become a church of reconciliation and communion is a summons that should be heeded.

Fr. Robin Ryan, cp