The little boy confessed some sins, and the priest asked, “Anything else?” “No, but I’ll have more for you the next time.”
In having assisted at numerous communal reconciliation services, I continue to be saddened by the vast majority of the services preceding the administering of the Sacrament. Lasting sometimes 25 to 30 minutes, the penitents are reminded of what had already motivated them to show up–God is all merciful and forgiving.
However, virtually all of those present are seeking the same answers that many others have not received, causing them finally not only to have given up on the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but to have joined the ranks of the 30,000,000 and counting non-practicing Catholics in the U.S.
Accordingly, the preparation service should be addressing the questions that are plaguing the vast majority of Catholics: “How can I have a firm purpose of amendment? How can I conquer a bad habit? How can I realize ‘His commandments are not burdensome’ (1 Jn 5:3b)? How can I be more whole, holy, happy, human, free, mature, in control, a lover, Christlike, who I am called to be?”
Therefore, we only have reason to be optimistic about successfully promoting and implementing the Pastoral Plan if we accept the truth that our sins are not the problem; rather, they are only symptomatic of the problem all of us have to some degree when daily being confronted with our commission to carry the cross of our temptations and trials, and in so doing to enter the kingdom of heaven along the way and finally graduate to the fullness of life where every tear is wiped away.
The obvious conclusion of the Gallup Poll is that “The average Christian has a need for practical help in developing a mature faith.” Good will has not been lacking, but when continually confronted with St. Paul’s dilemma of knowing the Commandments but not being able to live them, people finally give up or try another religion. As the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life states: “American Catholicism has been losing members at a remarkable rate. For every person who joins the Catholic Church, four others leave.” Therefore, the problem is simply failing to do what Jesus says we must do to enable us successfully daily to deny ourselves and become who we are called to be in carrying the cross to prove our love for him.
Jesus says, “The truth will set you free” (Jn 8:32). “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…” (Mt 6:33a). “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). “I am the way, the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5b).
The reason a greater percentage of Protestants than Catholics experience that the Commandments are not burdensome–as the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion concludes–is because a greater percentage are evangelized, and through faith in Jesus are able to follow through in living their commitment.
In the Pastoral Plan booklet, I find the following statements particularly relevant in our addressing the problem: “The primary question for all ministries in the diocese is ‘How can we support parishes in their efforts to become more Christ-centered? … What are we doing to: Call all to deeper conversion and personal commitment to Jesus Christ? Under “Resources for Parishes” is listed, “Provide retreats and educational opportunities for clergy, religious and laity focused on conversion to Christ at the parish level.” (Personal comment: Many priests and religious do not understand the meaning of evangelization, as is true of many religious education teachers.) Under “Most Frequently Named Issues Facing the Diocese of Austin” by participants in the Town Hall meetings, the first issue listed is “Evangelization.” And under “Participants’ Most Frequent Dreams for the Diocese of Austin,” are “Catholics practice their faith in everyday life” and “Evangelization.”
As Bishop Vasquez stated in the “Bishop’s Interview,” “The first component, conversion to Christ, I feel is priority …. In order to grow closer to Christ and become a committed disciple we have to allow Christ to become the center of our life … letting go of anything and anyone that prevents us from becoming more like Christ.”
And the late beloved Archbishop Bernardine of Chicago said his main goal was “the need to evangelize the Catholic community.” Here he spoke of “many who have never experienced true conversion.”
Regarding true conversion, following is an excerpt from “What It Means to be Evangelized”: ”To be evangelized it is necessary to open your temple throne-room door on which Jesus knocks and invite him in. And having made the decision to get yourself and any other creatures off of the throne of your temple, you should invite Jesus to assume his rightful position, that you might be the Christ-centered Christian you are called to be. It is in this act of the will to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior that you become evangelized.”
But it is not enough to be evangelized. For example, having helped to introduce the Charismatic Movement in Cleveland, Ohio, in the late ‘60s, and having been a board member of the Protestant Pentecostal Teen Challenge Program, I am well aware that many evangelicals “don’t act significantly different from non-Christians in their daily lives,” as a Gallup Poll concluded.
Therefore, although it is necessary to be evangelized to become a committed Christian, one must also be catechized relative to how to follow through—to live the commitment when one does not feel like it, which will be most of the time, as Blessed Mother Teresa experienced for fifty years. Accordingly, the catechizing must convey and emphasize the true nature of love, the necessity of living by faith and not by feelings, and how this is possible–how to experience that the Commandments are not burdensome. (My article that appeared in the “Catholic Spirit,” “No one falls in love,” treats of this concern.) In other words, the optimism of the will has to override the pessimism of the intellect and the inclination of the wayward feelings. (I have also recorded a CD entitled “The Truth about Love”, which is one of my mission presentations.)
It logically follows that if the Pastoral Plan is going to be successfully promoted and implemented, all of us in teaching positions must be evangelized, catechized regarding what is necessary to live our commitment to Jesus, and dedicated to sharing the freeing truth with those we are privileged to teach.
Finally, if we can realize notable success in evangelizing and catechizing relative to following through with the evangelical commitment in the Austin Diocese–achieving the goal of the first Pastoral Plan strategy–not only will it be relatively easy to achieve the goals of the other four strategies, no doubt the resulting light will be a welcome beacon and motivation to other dioceses.