This week we celebrated the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis was a rich young man before he came to the Lord, preoccupied with material goods, immersed in the pleasures of life. One day, he was praying before a crucifix in a dilapidated church, and he heard the Lord speak to him: “Rebuild my Church”. Francis took those words as God asking him to rebuild the church he visited. In time he came to understand God was asking him to rebuild the spiritual edifice of the Church, to rebuild the Church through the renewal of the “living stones”, God’s people who as individuals and together are called to be built into a spiritual temple to Gods glory. Francis lived in a time when the Church was growing weak in her members: materialistic lifestyles, preoccupation with worldly things, and a general disinterest in God, the Faith, and the Church, was leading to a spiritual disintegration of the Church. If the Church was to be strong, the lives of Christian individuals must be renewed. Of course, the physical buildings are important as sacred places set apart for the worship of God, but those places are an exterior expression of an interior reality, and when the interior reality (Faith) has deteriorated, the exterior expression (in this instance, a church building) is sure to deteriorate as well.
“Rebuild my Church”. What could these words mean for us in light of the Beacons of Light initiative? How is God asking us to rebuild His Church? The only reason we are going through Beacons of Light as an archdiocese is because, in general, there is a crisis of faith in our Church, and that’s true no matter what part of the archdiocese we belong to, either the “big cities” or “God’s country”. The majority of Catholics have walked away from the Church and that’s true in our neck of the woods, too. Can we really expect not to feel their absence in a significant way? The majority of Catholics do not practice the Faith, do not join us for the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord on Sunday at Mass. Can we act as if “everything is fine” or “we shouldn’t have to go through this process”, when most of our brethren, most of our friends and neighbors, and even our own family members don’t have any interest in worshipping God as He asks us to worship Him or living the Faith He died to give us? It’s easy to throw out all sorts of reasons why things are as they are and people aren’t coming to church or practicing the Faith: “the Church’s teachings are ‘outdated’ or too demanding”; “religion is boring”; “the preaching or teachings don’t make me feel good”; “I don’t like the music.” But those are all symptoms of a deeper problem: in general, love for God has grown cold, and many no longer understand what He actually died to accomplish in us.
I have been thinking on this for a long time, and it’s a heavy thought, but it’s also honest. The truth is that Beacons of Light is nothing other than the result of a crisis of faith in our Church, and since we are One Body in Christ, we must all “feel” this crisis: “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor 12:26). We can paint a rosy picture of how “vibrant” our parishes will be on the other side, and while I know that things can be better, they won’t be better just because we went through a process. The Church will only be strong if the souls that make up her spiritual edifice are themselves strong. Beacons of Light is a wakeup call for us, and a chance to consider more deeply the question: “What does it really mean to be faithful?” This question can take us deeper into Jesus’ Heart, if we let it.
I know it is hard to accept that the ones who “stuck around” must bear the burden of so many others’ absence; that doesn’t seem fair, but a more Christ-centered viewpoint is helpful. First, all of us are guilty of our own infidelities to the Lord, and the sufferings He sends us in this life are unto our salvation in reparation for our sins. Any sufferings we waste must be suffered in the life to come, so let’s not waste this opportunity to be sanctified now. Second, our whole religion is built upon the truth that one Man bore the guilt of the entire universe and each one of us on His guiltless shoulders. To act as if we shouldn’t have to suffer this because “it isn’t our fault” suggests we do not appreciate what Jesus did for us on the Cross. We should follow Francis’ example and spend some time meditating before a Crucifix, and see if our grumbling might give way to something better. Relentless anger is a cheap and useless remedy to trials; humble faith is the solution. The most faithful tend to suffer the most; if we call ourselves faithful, let’s prove it by obediently bearing this cross. No one has ever been more faithful than Jesus, and no one has ever suffered like Him. Our love and gratitude for His sacrifice is bound up with how we respond to the crosses He sends us, and if Beacons is that cross, let’s not let it pass us by. If we set our hearts to carry it together as a family, with love, faith, and obedience, it will bear abundant fruit and we will see our parish and our Church rebuilt, strengthened and renewed. The choice is ours. May God bless you in the week ahead, and may Mother Mary lead you deeply into the Sacred and Merciful Heart of Jesus. I remain with you through it all and,
Affectionately yours in Christ,
Fr. Hess
