What ever happened to the new springtime of the faith? It wasn't so long ago—the feast of Christ the King in the Jubilee Year—when Pope John Paul II said, “As for the future, there are many reasons for entering the new millennium with well-founded hope.” He spoke of “the Christian springtime, many signs of which we can already glimpse.”
Those were heady times Catholics looked at the millennium to come as a missionary field to be conquered by Christ. It was “the Catholic moment” to some, the “triumph of the Immaculate Heart” to others, “the new evangelization” to us all.
In 2002, that spirit seems to have deflated. When speaking about the faith means having to speak about horrible sins committed by members of the clergy, we tend to find other things to talk about. If we felt exhilarated by the Jubilee then, many of us now feel betrayed by bishops, disgusted by the behavior of some priests and fed up with five months of scandal after scandal.
That's no good. We propose a different response. Let's go on offense.
After all, look at the facts: The Associated Press recently deployed its reporters across the United States to survey Catholic dioceses about the number of priests accused of sexual abuse.
The news service estimated that the percentage of guilty or accused priests nationwide was … less than half of 1%. “And many of the complaints come from decades ago,” the report added.
With that in mind, consider the media's barrage of news reports that have made a crime look pervasive in the priesthood, though it is rarer there than elsewhere. In addition to the evil of the abuse that has occurred, it is obvious that we are witnessing another great evil—an attack on the priesthood. We must address both. We should encourage reform in the Church, yes, but it is just as important to defend the Church in public, because the Church is necessary to humanity's salvation.
Furthermore, it's up to lay people to do it.
What Pope John Paul II said in the year 2000 is even more true now: “The hour of the laity has struck.” Priests and bishops have been unfairly stripped of their credibility by the media. For the moment, that leaves the laity as the best envoys to bring Christ's message to the world.
Much depends on us—and so we should become much more dependable. Many Catholics who in December seemed very close to the Church have spent months now joining in the attacks on bishops, priests and even the Pope. Our faith needs to be stronger than that.
It's time for Catholics to really believe what we proclaim about the Holy Spirit's guidance of the Church, and Christ's presence in it. We'll have to take to heart the fact that we are not here to save the Church; the Church is here to save us.
Here are a couple of suggestions on what we can do to promote the Church:
First, we can publicly show our appreciation for our priests and bishops. Let friends and family know about the more than 99.5% of priests who are doing so much good. Or how about gathering a surprise spiritual bouquet, from the whole parish, to offer our priests on Father's Day? Better still, how about hounding our local media outlets to start balancing coverage of the scandals by doing positive stories of priests' good works?
Second, we can do what the Pope suggested in his letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (At the Beginning of the New Millennium). Promote Sunday Mass, confession and prayer. Use your next conversation about the scandals to point out the 99.5% and how important their work is in the confessional and at the Sunday altar.
The man who made the phrase “Be not afraid” a clarion call of his papa-cy was preparing us for just such a moment as this—a time to stand fearlessly with the Church against its enemies. And not just against the enemies that give us easy challenges, but the enemies that barrage us with massive, effective attacks.
Look on this page for further ideas of what we can do, and send in ideas of your own.
Let's roll.