young adults are—sometimes at an unconscious level, other times very overtly and directly—searching for transcendence and the profound, something beyond the conventions of excessive competition, opportunism, consumerism, and a preoccupation with self. Addiction counselors will tell us that even the epidemic of substance abuse among so many young adults testifies to a spiritual vacuum, an emptiness, a ravaging hunger for the spiritual. And mental health professionals testify to the widespread absence of personal meaning, frequently tied to issues of self-esteem, reliable and trustworthy relationships, and a public life devoid of depth and genuine values. While they are mistrustful of institutional religion, many want to connect with the Sacred—but in a way that honors their freedom, intelligence, and responsibility in making choices, in a way that respects diversity over against elitist and exclusivist truth claims, and in a way that allows them to participate as an equal whose voice counts and whose input and feedback are heard.
© 2010 Robert A. Ludwig, Ph.D.
Robert A. Ludwig, Ph.D. is the director of Loyola University Chicago’s Institute of Pastoral Studies and Professor of Pastoral Theology. Dr. Ludwig is a frequent presenter at conferences, workshops, symposia, and ministry gatherings throughout the country. He is past president of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association (1979-1980) and has served as consultant to the U.S. Catholic bishops in their pastoral letter on campus ministry (Empowered By the Spirit: Campus Ministry Faces the Future, 1984) and for the bishop-delegates to the international synod on the laity (1987).