The Church is Alive: Will You Be Part of the Story?

From time to time, I see articles that speak about the decline of church attendance, how people are turning away from organized religion, and that fewer people are attending Mass and receiving the Sacraments in the Catholic Church. I certainly would not dispute the statistics various groups or individuals have gathered. Nor would I dispute that our numbers are down from twenty, thirty, or even ten years ago. However there are also great stories to be told about growth within our Church.

At the Easter Vigil at Saint Patrick Parish, we are celebrating with twenty people – some of whom are being received into the Church and receiving the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist, while others are receiving only the Sacrament of Confirmation. They have been on a faith journey that has brought them to this night. We pray in gratitude for the gift of faith that God has inspired in them.

Next weekend forty children will be making their First Holy Communion. These kids previously celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time and have been working with their families to learn about our faith, the Eucharist, and build their relationship with God. 

Over the past week hundreds of people have joined together to celebrate what is called the Paschal Mystery. It is the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And this is just in our church – millions more gathered throughout the world. This is all because of one man. There were not great crowds when Jesus was nailed to the cross. There were only two or three people around when he rose from the dead. But this didn’t deter the work that was done over the course of just three days. Salvation was brought forth. 

It is great to have large numbers of people gather. But a few can also keep the faith alive. In fact, much can grow from the work of just one person. We see this time and time again in the lives of Saints. But it is not simply meant to be the work of Saints, for we are all called to be saints. Our impact on others can be tremendous. One grandmother sharing the faith with her grandchildren. One individual inviting a friend to attend Mass. One volunteer stepping forward so an activity in the parish can continue. Or one person taking an hour of Eucharistic Adoration so the chapel is open when a stranger stops by to pray. 

One man brought salvation to the world. One person can bring another person to Christ. The two quickly become four, the four- eight, the eight- sixteen, the sixteen becomes thirty-two. And the Church continues to grow from there. We can be a part of the story of the decline of Christianity or we can be a part of the story of its growth. Moved by the story of Jesus rising from the dead and conquering sin and death – can we choose to be a part of the story of the growth of Christianity? Are we willing to share the story that the world does not need a savior, but already has one? In a world that is highly unstable, are we ready to invite people to one place where the message has not changed in almost two thousand years?

May the blessings of Easter be with you. May you be blessed as you share the message of Jesus with others.