By: Michelle Biver (Belleville TEC)
NCYC 2019 was an incredible experience. I was very moved by the Catholic youth presence and their energy, excitement, and genuine interest and commitment to the faith. I had a great front row seat to ‘The Village’ as I stood at the National TEC booth ready to share this wonderful program with the youth and adults that passed by. Students walked around making new friends, swapping hats, stickers, and keychains, and stopping to listen and learn about different Catholic organizations.
I was honored to proudly stand at the TEC booth to share my passion for the Teens Encounter Christ program. I was very impressed by the politeness and genuine interest of the youth. It filled me with great joy to hear of their TEC experience, to listen to their continued involvement of being on a TEC team or how TEC changed their life or led them to their vocation. Some were interested in a new experience and wanted to dive deeper into their faith and find a TEC near them. Some wanted to tell us about the weekend they were signed up for and couldn’t wait to attend the following weekend.
The movement was constant. The excitement was steady. For those that were hearing of TEC for the first time, I noticed in their eyes as I spoke to them, a longing and a deep interest in the Paschal Mystery that we spoke of. We caught their interest as we spoke of dying to our sins and our self, rising new in Christ, and going out into the world to share the Gospel. The youth get it. They are in tune. They love the faith. They love the Lord. They have the desire to learn more and to be more. It was beautiful to witness their longing for more and their excitement to share what they already had or hoped to experience.
I was most moved by our large Adoration gathering in Lucas Oil Stadium. As Jesus, present in the Eucharist, entered the stadium, you could have heard a pin drop. All of that energy, all of the excitement, turned to reverence for our Lord. I soon noticed the youth in front of me kneeling to the hard concrete. I looked around the stadium as everyone knelt down and I followed suit. I was amazed as I looked around at the faith and love the youth had for Jesus. My respect for them grew as I noticed a few students go closer to Jesus before the altar. A few students stood before Jesus and one lay prostrate. It didn’t take long before more joined these few youth. Soon, youth were pouring down from the stadium seating, walking down the steps quickly to get closer to Jesus. My eyes welled up with pride and with a longing. A longing for the youth and myself to feel and be closer to Jesus. We all have this longing. I hope that we can continue to feel this and feed this longing, that we may spend time with our Lord in retreats such as TEC or whatever way Jesus calls us closer.
NCYC will always be a beautiful memory to me. I am thankful to TEC for leading me to this experience, and I pray that I am able to go back. I hope that the youth there and around the world may hear that call and get closer to Jesus through TEC and other encounters with Christ.
