What sustains you? What truly gives you the nourishment, the
encouragement, the support that you need to meet the challenges of life?
Jesus tells us that He
alone is the Bread of Life, the gift that the Father gives that brings true
Life to the world. As Catholics, we have
a deep understanding of this. It is
written into our very DNA as members of the Church. Unfortunately, however, we can forget it all
too easily.
Studies made of
relationship to Church in our time are showing some alarming facts. Many are simply walking away from the
practice of Faith. In years past, there
was a kind of “time out” for some of our young people in High School or College
or the years of early adulthood, an exercise of “freedom” to reject parents’
values. But when marriage and children
came along, there would be a new maturity and a return to practice of the
Faith. Now, on the contrary, there is a
departure soon after or even without Confirmation, and there is no return. Former Catholics join the fastest growing
denomination, the “nones,” that is, those who identify their religious
preference on surveys as “none.”
What causes this
loss? Some blame the Church. The claim is that the scandals, the lack of
clear teaching, and a general lack of order are the cause. Others blame the culture. The world is simply too appealing and there
is no room for the practices that sustain Faith. Still others suggest that it is the lack of
practice of the Faith in the home and in families that causes the failure of
the next generation to pick up for themselves what has lasted for generations
before them.
No doubt there is truth
to all of this. When scandals arise,
they serve as a counter to the witness of the Gospel that the Church is called
to provide. When teachings are watered down
or presented without clarity, then Faith has no “meat” to invite it to
grow. When the family fails to provide
clear witness and direction, then our young people are left adrift in a
confusing world.
What is the answer to
this challenge of our day? Faith, Hope
and Love – and the greatest of these is Love.
Jesus tells us that He Himself is the answer, given by the Father. We must put our Faith in Him. We must allow the Spirit to renew our Hope
and to trust in the Living God to show us the way. Most of all, we must Love God and one another
enough to throw in our lot with the Church and with the Family of God.
It has become very
evident to me personally as a Pastor, that the answer to the future of our
Church in the world and to the spiritual needs of our own parish and school
community is to give more space and time to God and to His plans for us. We cannot hope to turn around the trend that
is all around us unless we are willing to give room to spiritual realities.
Look at your own
home. Where is your “God place”
there? Do you have a prayer room, a
prayer corner or at least a prayer chair?
Look at your daily schedule. Does
your conversation with God have more than a cursory moment in the course of the
day? Do you and your family carve out
daily time for God?
Let’s look together at
the use of our parish and school facilities.
What gets the most space and time?
Are we willing to rethink how we use what has been entrusted to us for
encouraging growth in our spiritual journey?
Jesus invites us to be fed and nourished for the journey. “Arise and eat, else the journey will be too
long for you.” What will truly feed your
hunger for God?
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