Spiritual Dialogue between the Church and Youth

The text deals with problems of the dialogue about spiritual and religious topics with the present youth. The starting point of the dialogue is considered to be the religious experience of all people. Its specific form among those who do not consider themselves to be believers is called "secularreligiosity". Any type of religious experience an individual goes through is understood as spirituality in the broad sense of the word, and the religious experience, related to a specific religious system is understood as spirituality in the narrow sense of the word. Some religious experiences of young people are very close to the Christian religious tradition; however they are not reflected this way- e.g. the experiences of a human relationship, music perception, contact with nature, etc. Through a dialogue about such an experience, Christians can show young people its deeper sense and convey the wealth of their spiritual tradition. In the end the article shows the ways the communication should follow, suggests a methodology, and stresses the significance of the personality holding the dialogue in the name of the Church.

Keywords: Religious experience; Christian spirituality; Contemporary religiosity; Pastoral care of youth