I feel part of a generation of restless souls.
Maybe we have too much connection, with phones, laptops and social media always within reach, or maybe we have too little, trading theatres, bike rides, picnics and a little troublemaking for screens.
Whatever the source of our anxiousness, I believe young people are searching.
On Easter 2026, more than 20,000 teens and young adults were baptized in France; in 2016, that number was just over 4,000. Surveys by the French bishops found that most of them had no religious background. 40% began knocking on the Church’s door after encountering hardship, illness, or the death of a loved one, when the modern secular world had little explanation of comfort to offer.
Archbishop Olivier de Germay of Lyon read 500 letters from people in his diocese seeking baptism and described a sense of deep emptiness and loneliness in them. (Catechumenate Survey 2026 – Catholic 95).
I am not alone in my restlessness, and the answer many of us are looking for is one the Passionists have been living for nearly 300 years.
In my own search to understand suffering, I met Job.
What struck me most about the story is that when Job asks for an account, God offers none. In fact, when he finally does speak, he speaks about morning stars, the foundations of the earth, and monsters in the depth of the sea.
God seems to answer Job’s question with more questions, until the Passion of Christ. Like Job, I learned that God’s decisive answer to suffering isn’t a what, but a who. This is what St. Paul of the Cross saw in the 18th century, and it is the heart of the Passionist charism.
So, what is left for us to do? A professor of mine once said that since Christ has already won the victory over suffering and death, God isn’t worried about whether we win. He cares about whether we get there together, as a family.
When I came to the Passionists, I found that this is their answer to suffering too: no one should have to carry their cross alone.
I am about two weeks into calling some of the Passionists’ partners, and many of them already had prayer requests ready when I called. My new colleagues offer help in nearly every email and text, just to remind me that I’m part of a family that does its work together. And I have worked in this field long enough to know this is not normal.
This is where my hope comes from. The remedy for the restlessness I feel as a young adult is found among people who keep the memory of Christ’s Passion in their hearts and who step into suffering alongside others.
As long as people experience suffering, they will look for someone to suffer with them.
A community that keeps the memory of Christ’s Passion alive and steps into suffering alongside others will always be necessary.
When people like me go looking for answers, I have no doubt that they will find a family with prayer requests and prayer beads at the ready.
