The results of the archdiocesan consultation about worship every Sunday and Holy Day are now famous throughout the archdiocese. Only 17% of the people who responded stated that they worshipped God every Sunday and Holy Day while 83% of those who responded stated that they did not worship God every Sunday and Holy Day. Some of the 83% stated they did worship God regularly or occasionally.

There was no consolation in the fact that the data for the archdiocese was well within the international average of 15-20% of Catholics worshipping God every Sunday and Holy Day.

While the responses were not surprising, they obviously represent a challenge to the Church – not just to the Holy Father, Bishops and Parish Priests/Administrators – but to the entire Church – families, schools, public figures in society, senior citizens and the committed young. The challenge is essentially one of evangelisation.

To be challenged is not the same as being discouraged. We must remember that contemporary society is remarkably similar to the world in which the very small early Church community had to live and develop.

The Holy Spirit was present then and is present now. Therefore, there is no reason to panic. There is every reason to evangelise zealously.   

The response to the challenge

The response of the Church to the challenge must be catechetical and experiential in content as well as gentle and encouraging in method.

People who are nice, responsible people may not be fully aware of it but they have been affected as individuals and members of Church by the cultural patterns of international society.

The frequently heard threefold description of modern society as secularised, secular and increasingly neo-pagan is, in my opinion, quite accurate.

The characteristics of international culture have had a significant desacralising influence in the lives of people. It has affected their values and, once values are affected, a change of behaviour soon follows.

The statistics on patterns of worship have been developing for more than a generation. Ordinary people are just beginning to notice the challenge.

Catechetical content

When people cease to worship liturgically, they very frequently also cease to pray. As a result, they begin to distance themselves unintentionally from Sacred Scripture, the sacraments, Church teaching and the supportive strength of the community.

A dynamic of not thinking, reflecting or reacting spiritually begins to erode the faith foundation of their lives.

The first step in the recovery process is a back to basics approach to catechesis. The wisdom and values that God shares with his people are contained in God’s commandments.

Without the wisdom and values of God, people cannot live according to their nature and, consequently, they cannot be whole.

God’s revelation

What has been communicated by God to the people? These basic truths have been communicated: God is creator, God is Lord of history, God is liberator, God is redeemer and God is the eternal reward of the faithful. 

People’s response

How shall the people respond? The answer begins with the first commandment: You shall love the Lord your God with all your Heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Exodus 20: 2-5)

The third commandment adds specificity to our response: Remember the Sabbath Day (the Lord’s Day) and keep it holy (Exodus 20: 8-10).

In one sense, the commandments educate us about our faith response to God. In another sense, the commandments make clear that we have no choice but to respond. They teach us that God will not tolerate being ignored or having false gods before him. 

Some pastoral questions

How many people think in terms of that fundamental catechesis on the first and the third commandments? How many families form their young in that fundamental catechesis? When was the last time you heard it preached or taught? Do people still confess ignoring God by refusing to worship or pray? Do they accept responsibility for following the false gods of our world?

Experiential content

The Bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference have made it clear in their Pastoral Letter on Catechesis that catechesis is not simply informational.

It is also formational i.e. it is intended to shape a person’s life and response to God. Experiencing catechesis in family, in parish, in school, in peer ministry, in the witness of others is very important. It reinforces the positive effects of quality catechesis.

Negative experience in the same categories can be devastating and have a long-term personal impact. We all know that people respond much more to what they experience than they do to what they hear.

Gentle and encouraging method

While challenging people about their fidelity to God definitely has its place in catechesis and, at times, in the experiential context of their lives, we must remember that we are relating as Church to a population that is essentially a victim of its own history.

So many people have so little experience of God! Therefore, patient witness, charitable service, sensitive presence to those who are searching for meaning in their lives may well be a better way to initiate their journey to find God or to recover their relationship with God.

Conclusion

I invite all the people of the Archdiocese to work together as evangelisers to reawaken the people to an appreciation of the privilege they have to worship God in spirit and in truth.

Concentrate on sharing catechetical content and especially on providing an experience of worship. Be gentle and encouraging as we try to evangelise. We ourselves must remember that Eucharist is “the privileged place where communion with God and with one another is ceaselessly proclaimed and nurtured” (Pope John Paul II) and “participation in the Eucharist must be understood in substantial terms: an awareness of the mystery that is being celebrated and its relationship to daily life.” (Pope Benedict XVI).