Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter(Click here for readings)
By FR ALFONSE NAZZARO
Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you."
A recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Centre found that the percentage of Americans who identify themselves as Christians declined by eight percentage points since the last religious landscape survey in 2007. What I find most surprising is how gradual was the decline. I had expected a drop off of fifteen to twenty percentage points.
Now, for the first time ever in the United States, the unaffiliated outnumber Catholics.
But what exactly does this mean? Are we becoming more scientific? Are present generations much smarter than previous generations? Is this the demise of Catholicism and/or Christianity and the rise of atheism? Hardly.
What I think the results indicate is that the cultural war is finally beginning to take its toll; and the culture of death, negativity, rebellion, lies, anarchy and profanity are finally beginning to sink into our hearts, minds and wills.
Once upon a time people got married, and once in a while the marriage ended in divorce. In recent past times, people got married and far too often it ended in divorce. Now, our children skip getting married all together because they get stressed with the idea of commitment.
Lots of things have fallen through the roof over the past ten years, not just religion.
Are these tough times? Yes. Are they any tougher than what the Apostles went through? No. So, there is no excuse for any of us. We have a lot of work to do.
What I gather most from this recent survey is that young people are looking for a home, that's what "the unaffiliated" means to me. They are searching for a home...or have run away from home.
Let's keep praying for our Church and Church community, and that we may be living witnesses to the word of God in our words and actions. May those who have no home find a home with us.
Yes, the work continues. I agree that the culture wars have finally taken their toll. People scoff at the observance sort of decline because it's always delayed by a generation. Now the weeds have born their poisonous fruit: broken homes, depression, and cultural decline (particularly in education, work ethic, and morality).
ReplyDeleteLikewise, the fruit of a Catholic renewal will not show for a while either. The work of St. JPII and Benedict XVI will start manifesting themselves in the coming decades, and it will be good. Already, there's a resurgence of traditional Catholicism and Catholic scholarship, which are both key in preparing the Church in an increasingly secular society.
As for Pope Francis's current efforts, I'm not sure what fruit it will bear down the road. I like that he challenges all Catholics to be active in the world and reach out to those in need. I do not like that he antagonizes traditional Catholic communities, which in my opinion, are the Church's best hope at true renewal. The hippy dippy nonsense of the 60s should caution anyone hoping to "modernize" the Church in hopes of bringing in new members. For an increasingly trivializing world, we need an increasingly serious Church.