This past Sunday, an article entitled “Bad Times Draw Bigger Crowds to Churches,” appeared in the online version of The New York Times. The piece described how the recent financial crisis has become an occasion of spiritual searching for many, causing them to turn to God, principally in evangelical churches.
That’s the rub. While the article mentions that Catholic and mainline Protestant churches experience small increases during such times, evangelical churches swell. And, to rub it in, the three personal cases the article highlights are all people of Catholic background the author found attending evangelical churches.
We have something to learn here. In at least two of the three cases, the Catholics mentioned were invited to church by a friend or business associate. The article clearly relates how evangelical pastors and lay people see the current situation as an opportunity to reach out to others and draw them to Christ. The question is, as Catholics, do we?
I would like this question to become a challenge for us. It is likely that we all know someone who’s been away from church (or perhaps has never gone), who is now suffering significantly because of the economic downturn. Why not reach out to them by inviting them to Mass, or Adoration, or a prayer group? Why not give them a New Testament, or Rosary with instructions on how to pray it, or the Divine Mercy Chaplet? If there’s some kind of Catholic evangelization activity or event taking place soon, why not bring them along?
It’s too easy to wring our hands or point fingers; our task it to take the hands of others and point them towarad Christ. John the Baptist is one of the principal figures in the Church’s liturgy during Advent. We need to imitate him in pointing out Jesus to others, especially Jesus in the Eucharist. The Baptist’s words are repeated at every Mass just before Communion: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” Because Jesus is always with us in the Eucharist, we can face and overcome whatever problems we have to deal with, economic or otherwise.
That’s the rub. While the article mentions that Catholic and mainline Protestant churches experience small increases during such times, evangelical churches swell. And, to rub it in, the three personal cases the article highlights are all people of Catholic background the author found attending evangelical churches.
We have something to learn here. In at least two of the three cases, the Catholics mentioned were invited to church by a friend or business associate. The article clearly relates how evangelical pastors and lay people see the current situation as an opportunity to reach out to others and draw them to Christ. The question is, as Catholics, do we?
I would like this question to become a challenge for us. It is likely that we all know someone who’s been away from church (or perhaps has never gone), who is now suffering significantly because of the economic downturn. Why not reach out to them by inviting them to Mass, or Adoration, or a prayer group? Why not give them a New Testament, or Rosary with instructions on how to pray it, or the Divine Mercy Chaplet? If there’s some kind of Catholic evangelization activity or event taking place soon, why not bring them along?
It’s too easy to wring our hands or point fingers; our task it to take the hands of others and point them towarad Christ. John the Baptist is one of the principal figures in the Church’s liturgy during Advent. We need to imitate him in pointing out Jesus to others, especially Jesus in the Eucharist. The Baptist’s words are repeated at every Mass just before Communion: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” Because Jesus is always with us in the Eucharist, we can face and overcome whatever problems we have to deal with, economic or otherwise.
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