Remember the remarkable openness to God that pervaded American public life in the weeks immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks?

Wherever you looked, you saw “God bless America” signs. Whichever mainstream media outlets you got your daily news from, you heard about a “spiritual re-awakening” sweeping the nation.

I remember noting the moment in a column I wrote for a diocesan paper last October. My point was that, suddenly, we were living in a unique “moment of opportunity” —a great chance for the Church in America to present the faith to many who had been, until Sept. 11, indifferent or hostile to what we had to say.

How times change.

Today there's a 900-pound gorilla beating its chest and screeching crazily in the space between you and whomever it is you're seeking to evangelize. His name is Scandal. And you're going to have a hard time getting heard above his racket.

That's the bad news. The good news is the Holy Spirit is there to help you every time you share the Gospel. And he has a way when it comes to quieting savage beasts.

No matter how much conditions change around us, it is always incumbent upon us, the baptized, to tell the world about Jesus and his inseparability from his Mystical Body on earth, the Catholic Church.

How to cut through the pollution of the present environment and get the Gospel message in front of those who most need to hear it? Here are six suggestions.

First, stay faithful. Everyone knows it's unfair to kill the messenger who brings an unwelcome message. Neither can we toss out the message because a few of the messengers are themselves unable to live up to its contents. To leave behind the Church, the Eucharist, confession, and so much more that God offers us —all because we're ashamed of those who perpetrated the present scandals —would only hurt the one who leaves. It would be like refusing to take a prescribed medication because the pharmacist was rude.

This also means continuing to support the work of the Church. My wife and I have decided to continue to be as generous as we can afford to be when the collection plate comes around each Sunday —even though some of our gifts might end up going to settle lawsuits against the Church. Distasteful as that prospect is to us, we know that the sooner these debts are paid, the sooner our money can again go toward Catholic ministries, hospitals and schools.

Second, support priests. If even the good ones get discouraged by the negative publicity and the air of suspicion it has created, the work of the Church suffers still more and the tragedy is compounded. Let your pastor and other priests know that you appreciate the gift of his life to God's people. Let him know you trust him. Say Thank You. This has always been important, but it is more important than ever today.

Third, don't be ashamed of your faith in public. There is no reason to hesitate to let people know you're Catholic and proud of it. Our faith is and always will be the most beautiful and life-giving explanation there is of life, the universe and everything else you can wonder about.

That's not to say that you must defend what is indefensible or pretend nothing wrong has happened. Don't be afraid to express, too, your legitimate sorrow and anger at the failure of some who have made unfortunate decisions with grave consequences. Doing so shows a sense of reality. If I don't have that, why would someone want to listen to what I have to say on any religious matter? It also shows that a person can be upset about what some members of the Church have done but still treasure the Church herself.

Fourth, be convinced and explain to others that it is Christ who is the true “shepherd and guardian of our souls.” That is the reason the Catholic faith still stands strong and able to dispense and nurture the divine life that God offers to all.

If some who have been entrusted with the shepherding and the guarding have been more like wolves than shepherds, still we have Jesus. Indeed, he is all we ever had from the beginning. Everything else came from him. Everything else still does.

Fifth, talk about the good priests you know personally. The sad facts about a few very disappointing priests and bishops are well publicized. For many folks, these are the stories that will come immediately to mind when anyone mentions priesthood and the Church. How important it can be for people in your family or at work to hear about the beautiful or helpful homily your parish priest recently offered, how he went out of his way to offer comfort in some difficult moment, how much the kids in the youth group have grown from his guidance.

Finally: Pray. The root and foundation of evangelization has always been and will continue to be prayer. There is so much that demands the attention of our intercessions today. Priestly sexual abuse is not the only depravity being carried out in the name of religion in these dramatic days. It will be tempting for some to conclude that religion is a hindrance rather than the road to a peaceful world, while others will simply use the readily available examples as easy excuses to criticize and ridicule the faith they already despise.

Pray now, even as you finish up this column, for the Catholic faith in America —not simply that it survives, but that, watered by the tears of sorrow among her faithful members, she may become purified and grow, to bring the life of God to all who are open to his grace.

We can't turn back the clock to the time when all of this would have seemed unthinkable, let alone to the brief moment when the world seemed eager to hear the Gospel message straight from the Catholic Church's mouth. But we can —and must —soldier on, doing our part to let God bring healing through us. No matter how chaotic things seem to get, never forget that God is in control. If we share the Gospel through the words we speak and the lives we live, he'll take care of every 900-pound gorilla that comes our way.

Barry Michaels writes from Blairsville, Pennsylvania.