Catholic Faith Space
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A few months ago, I came across a study about how young adults leaving the church start down that path at age 13. This got me thinking about the class of eighth grade students I had this past year in CCD (religious education) class. I was thinking about all of the discussions we had and topics we covered up until the pandemic cut the remainder of the year short. One evening, I asked the class to make lists with the reasons why they thought going to Mass was important. Before I had a chance to finish handing out the paper and pencils, I was interrupted by multiple students all at once. I was bombarded with, “we don’t have time to go”, “that’s when my basketball tournaments are”, “it’s too long.” I was a bit disheartened by the total dismissal of faith by a large number of the students. Are these students on their way to abandoning their faith? Will they be left wandering around life without knowing the power and love of Christ in their lives?
It does not take long to look around and notice that so many people around us are lost and desperately searching. People are hungry and trying to be fed from empty plates. They are thirsty and trying to drink from empty wells. The one place that will truly satisfy them is the one place they are giving up on. As churches lose more and more young adults in what seems like alarming amounts, hearts are being emptied and minds turned towards some of the world’s most dangerous weapons; power, pleasure, greed, and hatred. The reasons people often give for leaving the faith sound similar to those of the middle schoolers, except for the fact that they usually sound more specific and personal. Typical responses seem to be “there are too many rules”, “this teaching is offensive or outdated”, “the church has a lot of problems.” Instead of taking the questions, confusion, struggles, and misunderstandings of the faith to Jesus at the foot of the cross in prayer, these things are brought into the world and dropped at the devil’s door. He takes these things, runs with them, and doesn’t look back. The world we live in is really good at convincing people that they don’t need faith or a faith community and that they can do everything on their own. The world tells people that what really matters is to do “whatever makes you happy” and successful. Our culture says that freedom and happiness can be found in doing whatever you want without any consequences. Jesus lays out a plentiful feast for us and so many people are digging in the trash. People are chasing after things that will never truly satisfy them. How can we fill our churches with people who are on fire in their faith? When I take time to think about it, it always seems like an impossible task. Then, I remember that it is God who will work within people’s hearts. The one job I have is to strive to share the fullness, truth, beauty, and goodness that is found in having faith in Christ, one day at a time.
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A few weeks ago, I was at the dentist having a root canal done. I was zoned out and listening to the mindless chatter between the dentist and the dental assistant. After some time, their conversation sparked my interest. To sum up the conversation, the dental assistant was telling a story about her last pregnancy and said that it was a complete surprise. She had gone to the doctor for a regular checkup and was surprised to find out that she was pregnant and four months along. The part of the story that really caught my attention was when her doctor asked, “do you want to keep it?” She was as shocked as I was that the doctor even asked that question.
Do you want to keep it? This question perfectly exemplifies the culture that we live in. We live in a culture of death, where life is seen as something that is easily discardable. Our culture tells us that if there is any suffering, pain, or inconvenience involved, then that life is not worth it. Our culture says, “don’t worry, we can get rid of it for you.” Whether it is a baby in the womb, waiting to take his first breath and remind us all of the beauty of life, or a terminally ill patient fighting each day and reminding us to remain hopeful and trust in God, our culture tries to strip the value of these lives and decide which lives are worth living and which are not. As a whole, we need to start treating life like the precious gift that it is, from conception to natural death. We need to live in a way that shows that life matters. If our culture believed in the sanctity of life, then doctors would never dare ask a mother if she wants to keep her baby. If our culture viewed life as a gift, then patients who are seriously ill would never be told that they don’t have purpose anymore. If we are going to talk about the value of life, we need to look at the beginning and end, times in which people are most vulnerable. If life inside the womb does not have value (it does), why would life outside of the womb have value? If life at the end stages with old age or sickness does not mean anything, why would life in the young and healthy stages mean anything? Regardless of the stage of human life, location of human life, or health of human life, it has value. Human life reflects the presence of God. Each life has value from the moment God calls that life into existence. Pray that our culture will stop seeing life as a choice and start seeing it as a gift, beginning in the womb and ending with natural death. Last week, someone asked me what the best bakery around the area was. I didn’t have to think about it for one second and did not hesitate. I quickly and excitedly shared that Uncle Mike’s is the elite choice and went on to explain everything that makes it so amazing, especially the donuts. I explained everything that they offered and made sure the person knew it was my go-to place and that I was a huge fan of the business. It is a game-changer as far as bakeries go. We always share the things that we enjoy and the things that make us excited. We share the things that are important to us and the things that have the biggest impact on us. Of course it’s easy to share where to find the best donuts. Who doesn’t like donuts?
What about faith? Do we share our faith with the same confidence and excitement? If something is a “game-changer” and has transformed our lives, wouldn’t we want others to know about it? Nothing has impacted my life more than my faith. As a Catholic and disciple of Jesus, my faith should be the most important aspect of my life. If it is the most important aspect of my life, why am I not sharing it and letting others know how it’s impacted my life? How many times have I covered up my faith in a conversation or situation with friends or coworkers because I was worried about being seen as weird or thought that it might offend them? Why do I worry about losing friends when Jesus is the most significant friend I could have? Why do I fear being mocked and rejected by those around me when Jesus experienced this more times than any of us ever could? Whether it’s in-person or on social media, it’s always so much easier to go with the flow. It’s more comfortable to agree with what everyone else is saying and just keep our faith out of the conversation. But Jesus did not call us to be comfortable. We need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. When I think about sharing my faith, I can recall a great homily from Father Scott Valentine in which he emphasized that “yes, our faith is personal but it should never be private.” In our faith, the idea of having a personal relationship with Jesus is always stressed and talked about. While this relationship is personal, it is not meant to be withheld from others. Why would we not share about the one who gives real meaning to our lives? When I take time to think about sharing my faith, there are a few realities I have to address. Do I value comfort and approval more than my faith? Do I worry more about offending or upsetting people than denying Jesus? Am I more concerned with what others might think of me versus what Jesus knows about me? My hope is that I can be bolder in sharing my faith; the real game-changer in my life. Sharing our faith with others doesn’t mean standing on street corners and yelling at people who go by. It doesn’t even mean talking about Jesus every moment of every day. I think it means living authentically, sharing the reason for our faith, and showing people how it changes us on a daily basis. “From the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus.” |
AuthorStriving to share hope, joy, God's love, and all of the good stuff, one blog post at a time. Categories |
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