ONLY 10% of Catholics go to Sunday Mass in the Philippines? This was what a bishop claimed recently. It obviously is not a good piece of news. But neither should it surprise us.
For sure, we need to improve the statistics. Christ came to save all. He wants everyone to have life to the full. And if we go by what our faith teaches us about the Holy Eucharist, somehow fullness of Christian life here on earth must involve our active participation in the Holy Mass.
But that’s something we have to work on. It will be work in progress always, with its ups and downs, twists and turns, gains and losses, etc. Thus, we have to expect problems. And we just have to try to solve them.
In fact there are many other depressing news to contend with these days. In the US now, there is this report that Christianity has declined drastically. It should be an interesting study to know the causes and factors of this decline.
Besides, it seems that developments in the world, especially in politics which in turn reflects the state of socio-cultural life in the people, have largely been secularized, that is, all but purged of anything related to faith, religion, God.
I suppose Christians will have to tussle with this kind of developments. A saint once said that Christianity is not so much the glory of Mt. Thabor as it is the suffering and pain of Mt. Calvary.
Christianity certainly has its triumph, but it’s never the empty or illusory triumphalism common in this world. In this life, it is always organically connected with the cross. It is the victory over nothing less than sin and death, not just some earthly enemy.
Christian life works differently. It has always been associated with small things like seed, leaven and remnant. Recall the many parables comparing the kingdom of heaven with the seed and the leaven. Though hardly anything, they contain the germ of life and transformation.
These and that directive given by our Lord for us to enter always by the narrow gate only show how Christianity is averse to anything that is pompous and showy. These latter ways cut our link with God, from whom we all come.
Christianity will always take the way of the lowly, the hidden, the few. It goes directly to the substance and essence of things, not the icing and the bubbles. It’s interested in souls and hearts, not in numbers and appearance.
Remember what St. Paul said in his first Letter to the Corinthians. God chooses the foolish, the weak and the base to confound the wise, the strong and the proud, lest man gets spoiled in his self-glory. (cfr. 1,27-29)
And in Church life, both in its pre-history and its history proper up to now, it has always been characterized by the strategic role of a certain remnant of people that have managed to preserve their integrity and fidelity in spite of all odds. There will always be a remnant, even in the worst scenario.
No, we should not worry too much about statistics. Any unfavorable number should just spur us to be more faithful, more apostolic, more holy. Christ assured us through St. Peter that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church.
We should just focus more on how to strengthen the true inner life of the Church. The numbers will just come as a consequence. And in this regard, a lot of things need yet to be done.
Among them is the clarification of the role of clergy in our temporal affairs. Many people tell me how discouraged they get when they see priests and even bishops getting badly mixed up in politics.
Some, according to them, have even gone to the extent of calling politicians names, and of branding them as if they can never do anything good. These clerics have obviously gone partisan..
No matter how right these priests and bishops are in their views, they said, if they use foul language and bad manners, they will only succeed in alienating people.
Other clerics, again according to them, seem to be more skillful in commercializing their services, or ministry, than in putting spiritual and supernatural zeal and content into them.
These are some concerns that need to be ironed out urgently, if the Church has to thrive in our confusing times.
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