“I really get bored when I go to Mass… I don’t’ like the choir and the music… the preaching puts me to sleep… there are so many scandals in the Church …. (Catholics are a bunch of hypocrites) …. I can find my spiritual energy captivated by the beauty of nature… I am so busy that I simply do not have time for Mass… Going to Mass is for the old people; I am young, intelligent, vibrant and energetic… Later on in my life, I may drift back to the Church in better days…
All of the above negative comments are leveled against returning to the Church and receiving the life-saving graces that flow most abundantly through the Sacraments, and most especially through the greatest of all Sacraments: the most Holy Eucharist.
It is a sad, cruel and stark reality: most Catholics throughout the world do not attend Holy Mass. In many predominantly Catholic countries, the largest religious entity or group are Catholics, but underline this fact: NON-PRACTICING CATHOLICS!!! Italy, France, Spain, Mexico, and all of South America, Latin America, as well as the Philippines—all of these countries are predominantly Catholic. However, while the huge majority of the people in these countries would state that they are Catholic, they rarely attend Holy Mass.
There has been a radical change in the past 50-60 years. In the USA in the 50’s and even into the early 60’s, statistically close to 75%-80% of Catholics would quite regularly attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, almost every Sunday. (Personally, I remember missing Holy Mass only once as a child and it was because of a violent snow-storm which stranded our family as home-bound for that Sunday Mass!) Now, the numbers and statistics have done a total U–TURN! Perhaps 20% or less attend Holy Mass every Sunday.
As Catholics and followers of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, we should truly love what He loves. The great love of Jesus, the Savior, is the human-person, created in the image and likeness of God, and the salvation of his immortal soul. Jesus stated this truth unequivocally and with great emphasis: “What would it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul. What can a man exchange for his soul?” (Mt. 16: 26) Jesus hungers and thirsts for the salvation of a multitude of souls! Saint Ignatius of Loyola in his classic Meditation/Contemplation, The call of the Temporal King so as to follow the Eternal King, challenges us not be deaf to the call of the King. The earthly King is bent upon conquering the world and its possessions for himself. The Eternal King, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, has no interest in temporal conquering and dominion, but rather in the conquering and the salvation of immortal souls.
With this knowledge of the desire, the thrust, and the purpose of Jesus’ life—hungering and thirsting for the salvation of souls—let us beg for the grace to collaborate with Jesus in this most noble of all endeavors: the salvation of immortal souls!
Let us set up a game-plan or a strategy on starting right now how we can bring back these lost sheep, Prodigal sons and daughters, straying flocks back to the loving arms of the Good Shepherd, back to the loving and tender embrace of the Father of the Prodigal son.
STRATEGY TO BRING BACK THE STRAY SHEEP HOME!
1. PRAYER AND THE SACRAMENTS: Without the grace that flows in abundance through prayer and the Sacraments, conversions or reversions to the Catholic faith will come about far and few between. It will be like building an edifice upon sand. Rain and tempest beating and battering against a structure built on sand will necessarily cause collapse and disaster. (Mt 7:24-27). Starting now let us pray, offer our Masses and Holy Communions, and as many Rosaries as we can to bring back the Catholics who have abandoned the practice of the faith.
2. PENANCE. Jesus stated with utmost clarity: “Some devils can be cast out only by prayer and fasting (penance). (Mt. 17:21) Our Lady of Fatima reiterated the same truth: “Pray and offer sacrifices because many souls are lost because not enough people pray and offer sacrifices for them.” Let us choose and impose upon ourselves some concrete form of penance for the purpose of fostering the return of the forlorn and confused Catholics to the Fold!
3. HOLINESS OF LIFE. Magnetism emanates from sanctity of life. Why was it that so many people scurried on foot to the Jordan River? Not so much due to the waters in that river, but rather due to the holiness of the man who was baptizing in those waters: Saint John the Baptist. If we can work on our own personal sanctification, then this sanctity will serve as a magnet to attract others back to Christ in His Mystical Body, which is the Church! Saint John Vianney attracted thousands to the remote, out of the way village of Ars. His holiness attracted even the hardest of sinners to conversion and to return to the practice of the faith, in the wake of the devastation wrought by the French Revolution when churches were closed and priests forbidden to preach and teach catechism.
4. INVITATION. Andrew invited Peter to meet Jesus, as well as Philip, and the Greeks, many of whom accepted the invitation. Why not simply invite some wandering Catholic to return home, return to the Church, return to attend and participate in Holy Mass. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain! Every non-practicing Catholic is a potential practicing Catholic. Maybe the catalyst, the bridge is a simple invitation!
5. MAJOR FEASTS. Take advantage of the Major Solemnities or Liturgical Feast days to invite the lost sheep to return to the fold: Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Ash Wednesday, All Souls, All Saints, Marian Solemnities, such as the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption. These Glorious Liturgical celebrations offer signal graces for conversion.
6. ANNIVERSARIES. Using spiritual astuteness, why not invite some relatives to attend Mass for key celebrations. Birthdays, Wedding Anniversaries, Graduation ceremonies, Anniversaries of the death of a relative—all of these can be means and motives to invite the lax-Catholics to return home!
7. CHURCH BULLETINS AND CONFESSION SCHEDULE. Perhaps many wandering Catholics are ripe fruit, ready for the picking, if they simply knew the when and where of Confessions. Simply point out the day, the hour, the place and the Confessional so that the fish can be caught in the net. Better yet, give them an Examination of Conscience pamphlet or booklet as a guide. Then you can go with your friend at the time and place to the Confessional. You go first to confession and exit with a big smile, then say, “Your turn!” You will feel great and be born anew! This is really imitating Saint John the Baptist and preparing the way to meet Jesus, the Divine Savior and Divine Physician.
8. RETREAT EXPERIENCE. Many powerful conversions thunder into the lives of mediocre Catholics and even hardened sinners as a result of a powerful Retreat experience. Exposed to dynamic talks and personal witnesses, silence for examination of conscience and deep prayer, and the ability to receive the Sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist result in radical, life-changing experiences! Check around for the next retreat and attend with some of your confused-catholic friends! The net result? Conversion, commitment, and Catholic rebirth! Experience gives eloquent witness to the reality of many reversions to the faith as a result of weekend or even one-day Retreats! Check it out! One good source for weekend retreats that comes immediately to mind is the Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra, run by the Carmelite Sisters.
9. GOOD READING, VIEWING, SOCIAL MEDIA. The eyes, the ears, the mind, the imagination are all captivated by the image. Today the image manifests itself in various forms. Following our theme: God can enter into the heart of the individual in many ways. Why not use these tools, these nets, these bridges to bring the wandering Catholic sheep back to the fold? Suggest and expose these Lax-Catholics to the following: T.V. (EWTN), Catholic Radio (Relevant Radio), Catholic websites including my website www.fatherbroom.com with good Catholic articles, and of course good books on the saints or other Catholic topics. Many of these sources can serve as a catalyst and bridge to bring the revert back to the practice of the faith.
10. CHURCH MOVEMENTS AND GROUPS. Apostolates and Ministries within the context of the Catholic Church undoubtedly can serve as bait and fishnet to lure the wandering fish into the boat. There are many, but we can name a few: Charismatic groups (Renovation), Legion of Mary, Youth Groups, Focolare, Communion and Liberation, Neo-catechumenate, Spiritual Exercises Group, Marian Consecration, Catechism (children and youth) Nocturnal adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Sodality of Mary, Missionary Groups, Grieving Ministry, Apostolate of the elderly and sick, and many more…. Once a wandering and forlorn Catholic experiences the love, the warmth and the sense of belonging to a specific group within the Church, then they will experience the Church as a warm and loving family and long to come back and belong!
In conclusion, friends in Jesus, Mary and our Catholic family, many, in fact huge numbers of our family members have wandered from home. Baptized Catholics who made their First Communion and Confirmation, and even were married sacramentally— even with all this support, no longer practice the faith. It is truly incumbent upon all of us, if we truly love Jesus the Good Shepherd, to strive to bring as many lost sheep back to the fold as we possibly can! The harvest is rich, but the laborers are all too few. Right now, you are called to be a Good Shepherd, a spiritual Fisherman or Fisherwoman, a loving brother or sister to become a bridge to cross them back over to the ultimate source of grace and Truth—the Catholic Church. Let us use all the tools, the nets, the instruments at our disposal to bring as many as possible back to the loving arms of the Father and the loving embrace of Jesus, our Savior and true Friend who will never abandon us, neither in time nor for all eternity!
