It is all too common to hear stories about fallen away Catholics, and how fewer are attending Mass and following their faith. Many blame theirs or others’ lukewarm faith or lack of catechesis on priests, their schools, bishops, Vatican II, popes, liturgical abuses, scandals, or any number of things. The problem of being lukewarm is mentioned in Revelation 3:16, where it states, rather indelicately but deliberately, “But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold, not hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth.”
We hear regular criticism that the Church is failing Catholics and thus the world, because many ostensibly Catholic people have turned away from Christ and succumbed to more secular interests. But is this alone the fault of the Church? I think there are areas in which the Church could be better, certainly. For example, though the Church is one giant family, cardinals, bishops, and priests, are not always on the same page on how to share or practice the faith. The differences from diocese to diocese, even parish to parish in the same dioceses, can be stark. But I am not sure we have truly identified a more basic cause. Let us consider a few things before measuring others for millstones.
What Do We Love?
If you ask a baseball fan about his team, he can likely tell you when its last World Series appearance was, the final score, who pitched and during which innings, who played the various bases, which team they beat, and how many games it took. They can probably also tell you the weather, exactly where they watched it, and which commentators called the game. More than likely, they can tell you their team’s current rank in the standings, and perhaps the batting averages of several of their favorite players. They can certainly name all of the team’s historically most famous players, as well as their player numbers. In fact, in a place of prominence in their homes, you will likely find baseball cards, baseballs, pennants, helmets, or other paraphernalia on display.
Likewise, if you were to ask an aficionado about art, they are likely to go on and on for hours about their favorite styles, artists, and why certain paints and painters are so much better than others. They can probably name their top 10 favorite art museums on the various continents, save for Antarctica, and bend your ear on why art should not be in private collections to be squandered away and kept from true enthusiasts. They can tell you from which historical eras the best painters came, and what is wrong with any particular kind of less preferred art. They know their stuff, as the saying goes.
If you ask an average, dispassionate Joe or Jane about art or baseball, they may not be able to answer with much enthusiasm, or accuracy. Those subjects just may not be their thing. Similarly, if you ask the average Catholic what the third Sorrowful Mystery is, often you will get crickets. So too if you ask them who wrote Humanae Vitae – one of the most profound documents in the last 50 years. Or even the more recent, Laudato Si’, which was widely covered in the news, you will likely be hard pressed to find a Catholic who can explain it, and far fewer who have actually read it. Even something more simple, such as how often we are obliged to attend Mass, or how many times per year we should receive the Eucharist (always in a state of grace, of course), they may not know. If you inquire as to when their last Confession might have been, “a while” is a very typical answer. Even asking to explain the difference between a venial and grave sin, many will stumble. Such people could be perfectly wonderful and charitable, but their lack of basic knowledge of essential elements of Catholicism is telling.
The Devout Difference
In contrast, a devout Catholic can likely answer easily all of what I referred to above. And it is not because they necessarily went to better schools, had better bishops, or avoided abhorrent displays of liturgical dance. All of those things certainly can help. And tradition and reverence are a lure for many. But the real reason devout Catholics can answer such questions, and many more is simple. They have an interest in the subject matter. And, of course, in almost all homes of devout Catholics, one will find Crucifixes, Catholic art, bibles, rosaries, statues, and likely some dried palm branches. The baseball fan and art aficionado, similar to most devout Catholics, likely did not learn their hobbies in grade school, or high school. They may have taken classes at some point to enhance and expand their knowledge, and if so, they did it for that same one reason – interest.
For over forty years I languished in an underdeveloped faith. I was essentially a cultural Catholic, but certainly not devout. Catholicism was part of my identity, but I can not really say I was Catholic by merely going to church any more than one can say going to Poland makes one Polish. My parents were faithful, but like many of their generation, they were not adept at explaining faith to their kids. So while I witnessed it, I did not always know why we did what we did. I had faith, certainly, and have always believed in God and Jesus. But believing in them, I understand now, is essentially meaningless without any substance behind it. After all, Catholics also believe in the devil, which illustrates that merely believing in something or someone is not enough. We are called to follow Christ, and we do so by actively seeking a relationship with Him, engaging in the Church He built, and living His teachings. To do that, we must have an interest. For most of my life, regrettably, I lacked it. So too, I am afraid, do most cultural Catholics.
Catholic schools have for years been trying to teach the faith to kids, and many have done a wonderful job. Some have less efficacy at doing so. And while not all pastors and school administrators excel at catechizing at Catholic schools, it is a much harder thing to do when parents have little interest in their own faith. I can attest to meeting many Catholic school parents who either do not know their faith, and/or are not very interested in it. Many are more interested in academics, and unwittingly perhaps, have succumbed to cultural ideals. They are by no means bad people. But pastors and principals in such environments have a tough challenge meeting the needs of devout Catholic families who want strong catechesis, while trying to not repel more nominally Catholic parents who seem to mostly want their kids to go to the best high schools and colleges.
Without interest in one’s faith, Jesus’ life, His mission, Mary, why the Catholic Church remains the one True Church, saints, scripture, the Real Presence, one’s own eternal salvation – or one of thousands of other subjects about which one can study, we will likely learn little. Rarely do we learn anything unless we have at least a basic interest in it. And Catholicism, with such a vast and seemingly infinite deposit of faith through two millennia, cannot be learned just through osmosis. One needs to actively engage in learning.
Turning Up The Heat On Lukewarm
How do we create an interest in people? Conversation and evangelization are great ways. And both of those are best done through good Catholic witness. When we truly witness our faith, to our spouses, children, and the public in general – including on social media – we create the most interest in our faith. I have experienced this first hand many times in the past few years. People are genuinely interested in people they think are good people of faith. They may not always be interested in initially emulating all that they do, but they will likely observe and listen. Particularly important is the witness to children. We know well that our kids follow our lead as parents. They typically like many of the sports teams, places, foods that their parents do. And even when they do not, they usually respect the good choices of their parents. But a parent who is not living a Catholic life who wants his or her kids to be Catholic is erecting huge hurdles that merely going to Mass is unlikely to overcome, a Catholic school is unlikely to overcome, and perhaps only God may be able to surmount.
Priests can help as well, certainly. A good homilist can help significantly to inspire. But even the best homilies, if listened to each week, only add up to roughly 8.6 hours of instruction per year, or less than the equivalent of one work day. Certainly good leadership by bishops, cardinals, and our Holy Father can inspire, but ultimately the responsibility to learn and know our faith is really ours. We are in charge of learning about our faith and taking our desire to have eternal life in God’s Kingdom seriously. No one can do it for us. No one can be Catholic for us. Through Christ alone can we be saved, but the decision is ours. Thus, it is important to ask ourselves where our true love lies. For as it says in Mathew 6:21, “For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also.”
If you are a devout Catholic who perhaps directed the blame to certain things in the past, maybe switch your focus to helping a friend come Home now. If you have been a lukewarm Catholic heretofore, blame whomever or whatever you feel was initially responsible, but then forgive them and consider taking responsibility for your own faithfulness. Start with the initial first step of showing an interest. Then, take on something simple at first. Say a Rosary once a week. Read a papal document that might be of interest. Pop in at Adoration and spend some time with Jesus. Say some extra prayers on the way to work. Talk to a priest. Volunteer somewhere. Talk to a genuinely Catholic friend. Read one of millions of books. Read CatholicStand.com. There are an infinite number of ways to boost one’s spiritual life, and one’s relationship with Christ. I reignited my faith by attending an additional Mass once a week during Lent a few years ago. Now I go to daily Mass, because I can! I realize now that I was the one turning away from Christ all those years, and being lukewarm. He was always there for me. I just was not interested in my faith, or Jesus. I am now, and it has changed my life.
48 thoughts on “A Reason for Lukewarm Catholics”
The unholy holy Church.
There are so many lukewarm Catholics because the Church tolerates lukewarm-ness.
People are not put to a choice: get on the bandwagon or get off. For example, Mass attendance is supposedly mandatory; it is a mortal sin to miss Sunday Mass without good reason. Yet, the Church tolerates 25% Mass attendance by its members, the confession lines are short, and yet, there are no ecclesial consequences.
By analogy, a company that allows its employees show up for work if, as, and when they feel like it won’t be in business for long. Organizations do not work that way – even Holy Mother Church. If people were required to make a choice – seriously commit to this faith or walk away until you are ready to do so – many of them would be forced to examine themselves and renew their commitment. And the Church would be a much stronger witness. The ones who leave were never really there anyway.
The Church is going to have to make real demands on people to live out the basics of the sacramental life if it wants to prosper. Otherwise, it will remain in decline in the West. The Church seems to be overcome – or paralyzed by – fear that insisting that Catholics actually live according to its teachings will cause most of them to walk away.
I think Catholics should be required to have a bar code that is scanned at the vestibule and
examined to determine whether they are allowed to receive communion based on compliance.
This would also serve as a means of determining when one last confessed ( once a year for
Easter duty ) and a buzzer installed to insure that attendance occurred before the gospel was
read and to catch those who leave before the interlude after communion. Since Holy Days are
when most lukewarm fudge their duty the coming Sunday should net quite a few malingerers.
High gain cameras could pan the worshipers to look for those dosing off or not bothering to
sing the antiphons. Face recognition technology could insure that an entire family is present.
and if not an inquiry could be made as to why. Now don’t tell me this system wouldn’t work as
we have not only caught terrorists with it but learn to a decimal what consumers buy into and
what they do not not. That should do it BXVI.
Of course all of that is ridiculous and I would never propose any of it. On the other hand, by my observation the Church is so utterly lax in its ecclesial discipline that “anything goes” seems to be the message conveyed. Perhaps I have it all wrong (highly possible) but from my perspective the pendulum seems to have swung all the way to one side – the side of laxity – and needs to swing back toward the middle.
Low expectations Catholicism breeds lukewarm Catholics who are likely to go to hell when they die. When you can be a member of a parish for 20 years, showing up for Mass infrequently and never for confession and you never receive a call from the Pastor or the Parochial Vicar or the Deacon or anyone else asking for a meeting to find out what the heck is going on, there is a problem. Sorry, that’s just a fact.
” On the other hand, by my observation the Church is so utterly lax …”
I think it would be wise for you to take a step back and realize that the world
of Catholicism is in the middle of a cathartic revolution and what you expect
is – 1. most likely never going to happen 2. Is many many decades away from
happening even close to the form you envision. The CC of the 19th century
is not going to reappear and if by some magic it did you would have such a
small community of orthodox believers that church closings would surge.
On another blog here on CS there is a “reversion” columnist who in all good
faith ( i respect that ) believes that “skipping mass” and abortion are equally.
mortal. It is akin to saying to your friends, I am having a party every weekend
and to those who do not show you are not only not my friends anymore but
what you are doing is the same as killing someone. I use this to point out that
that kind of rationalizing human is close to extinction. I’m sorry BXVI, but you
cannot re-evangelize the old or create fervor in the new using this model of theology.
Hi James.
1. I did not say I thought it would happen. Sadly, I think it is unlikely.
2. I agree that if it were to ever happen, we are many decades away from it.
3. I do not want a return of the 19th Century Church.
But, let me tell you something: skipping Mass on Sunday without dispensation or a good excuse and material cooperation in abortion are both mortal sins. One violates the 3rd Commandment and the other violates the 5th Commandment. There are no “degrees” of mortal-ness. When is “dead” less than “dead”?
This is not some vestige of 19th century Catholicism that I would like to resurrect. It is right there in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, promulgated in the last decade of the 20th Century by Pope St. John Paul the Great. See, CCC 2180-2181. I realize that there are many lukewarm Catholics who either are not aware of this or simply do not believe it.
If you do not believe that skipping Mass is a mortal sin that must be confessed, I implore you read up on the subject. I think you will find that this is in fact the teaching of the Church today. I implore you to attend Mass every Sunday and on all Holy Days of Obligation and to confess it when you do not. Our Lord will come like a thief in the night, whether it is at your own death or at his Second Coming.
Peace.
The Sunday Obligation
2180 The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: “On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.” “The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day.”
2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.
” I realize that there are many lukewarm Catholics who either are not aware of this or simply do not believe it.”
Second condition for mortal is that the person must KNOW that it is wrong and
no one in their right mind would equate the two. You are part of the problem
sir, but that’s ok – peace and love to you.
Yes, I am sure that there are some Catholics who do not know that they are required to attend Sunday Mass. I would be willing to bet, however, that the vast majority of “skippers” know of the obligation but just don’t observe it.
I would guess the more prevalent attitude is that “We’re Catholics, but we don’t go to Mass EVERY week; we’re not EXTREMISTS.” It should also be noted that: “Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.” CCC 1859
If people truly do not remember what they were taught in Confirmation class or RCIA – i.e., that they are supposed to attend Mass every Sunday – then they need to be reminded, after which they will know that it is a grave sin to miss Mass.
You say that I am “part of the problem.” Why is that? Is it because I say that it is important for the Church to be serious in setting expectations that its members will follow the Church’s most basic precepts, and should not let people ignore those precepts indefinitely without getting to the bottom of the situation and fixing it? Why does that offend you?
” If people truly do not remember what they were taught in Confirmation class..”
At one time people were taught that the earth was flat – some didn’t buy into it
but continued to circumnavigate the globe.
I’m not sure I understand what you mean by this, james. Are you saying that you believe the Church’s teaching about Mass attendance is false and can therefore be safely disregarded? I am surprised that you imply that promoting the perennial teachings of Holy Mother Church is akin to proposing that the world is flat and or like trying to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge. What are you saying? That you do not believe and are not buying what the Church says is required of all Catholics to believe? If so, I beg you to reconsider.
It’s been a good run BX but like all good things there comes a time to talk and
a time to not. Have a good one.
I see.
Peace to you.
P.S. Please go to Mass and encourage others to do so.
Had to jump in here with one more thing. The “Flat Earth” meme is so tiresome. You realize it originated as part of the “Black Legend” that Protestant Enlightenment propagandists employed against the Catholic Church? At the time of Columbus’ voyage, no thinking person in Europe – including those in the Church – thought the world was flat. The problem people had with Columbus’ proposed voyage is that he had demonstrably miscalculated the circumference of the globe. He thought it was only 2,000 miles from the Canaries to the East Indies. In fact, the “skeptics” were right, in that it is a journey of more than 13,000 miles. Columbus and his crew were “saved” by the discovery of the Western Hemisphere; otherwise they would have all died of thirst and starvation in the middle of the ocean.
Oh, i know the CC never bought into that. To put in proper context the quote pulled from your previous I should have said, yes we know what was taught in Confirmation. Do you know the exact moment all that changed ? And when I say changed I mean in one fell swoop for millions of Catholics and consequently their progeny. When George Carlin, the comedian asked (seriously asked) after the
CC changed it’s meatless Friday discipline – ” I wonder how all those Catholics doing eternity in Hell on the meat rap feel about that ?” If the CC wanted to refill those pews it would drop its highly speculative, presumptuous penalty phase for most sins since the 2nd condition that makes a sin mortal is known only to God. We’re on the same side BXVI, the only difference being I can see a way out of this while you rely on the stoicism of the past to right the ship. “Be not afraid” Jesus said over and over – you can.be sure the CC will have a very difficult time gaining converts using Pharisaical rules designed to make people afraid again. Peace.
Hmm. Sunday Mass obligation is a “Pharisaical Rule” now, huh?
Opps, I meant a Pharisaical threat.
Well at least you are not lukewarm.
Sorry not to let this go, but I keep thinking about your reply.
The precepts of the Church are extremely basic.They are not complicated or burdensome. 1.You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation. 2.You shall confess your sins at least once a year. 3.You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least once during the Easter season. 4.You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church. 5.You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.
Yet, many Catholics find even these basic precepts too much to ask of them. For the most part, this is not due to ignorance, but due to a profound lack of faith / belief. They simply don’t believe that what the Church teaches to be true (i.e., that it is a grave sin to fail to observe the precepts) and so they are unwilling to obey them if they are inconvenient. This amounts to a rejection of the authority of the Church and instead making oneself into his own authority. It is not a Catholic mindset.
Now, to your example relating to the precept that requires Catholics to observe the days of fast and abstinence appointed by the Church. Your example indicates that you don’t think it was a grave sin for those past Catholics to ignore the days of fast appointed by the Church. The tenor of your reply indicates you think that idea is farcical and that no reasonable person could believe it.
Yet, the Church teaches that it is a grave matter to fail to observe the prescribed days of fast – whether every Friday (as in years past) or only Fridays during Lent (as is the current discipline). Clearly, you do not believe this; and you place more weight on the irreverent musings of the profane and vulgar comedian George Carlin than on the authority of Holy Mother Church. That goes beyond “lukewarm” and ventures into the territory of affirmative opposition to the truth.
The reason so many people reject these precepts is simple – they are ARBITRARY. Why not fast every other day ? Why not obligatory mass every eight days instead of seven ? Why not two holy days instead of six ? Why not confession monthly instead of yearly ? Why not mandatory communion every
32 days instead once a year during Easter time. Why not ban fish instead of steak ? Why not a low mass instead of a high being mandatory for Sundays ? Another analogy – If your car gets 100 miles to the gallon would you want someone to say you need to fill up every week even if it only takes $1.00 – some people get really great mileage on one mass and communion while others need it every day to get by. Back to the cookout analogy, wouldn’t you want your friends to attend your cookout because they are really looking forward to coming rather than threatening them with loss of friendship should they miss one ? Why would you want a person to worship God out of fear ? The church should be there for people when they need it – not the people there for the church because of some arbitrary standard ( like meatless Fridays ) that is subject to change on a whim ?. I do believe every Catholic needs to support their parish, however, that’s only right.
There are actually very good reasons for each of the precepts, if you care to look them up. But that’s not really the issue. The issue is one of authority. You have decided that you will be your own authority, instead of acknowledging the Church’s authority.
And there are actually very good reasons for my analogies but instead of
acknowledging them you bury your head in the sand.
Your argument is essentially to tell God who speaks through his Church (or do you believe that?) “You’re not the boss of me! I don’t need your stupid rules!”
Five days ago I said thanks for a good run – now I mean it. Peace
Peace be to you, James. Please, go to Mass on all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and confess it when you fail. Don’t be “lukewarm.”
Gee, seven threads back you were saying ” at least I wasn’t lukewarm.”
You’re confused.BX – but then again that comes from being orthodox.
[Back to the cookout analogy, wouldn’t you want your friends to attend your cookout because they are really looking forward to coming rather than threatening them with loss of friendship should they miss one ?]
Of course, james. But refusal to attend the banquet is a sign that the friendship has been severed by the one who won’t come. Please stop the rebellion, james. Accept the Church’s authority to establish these basic precepts which must be followed – whether you find them arbitrary or not. Go to Mass, and encourage every Catholic you know to do the same. Don’t be afraid to let them know it is their duty to attend and that failure to do so is an insult to God, who has prepared his banquet for them.
Consider the parables set forth below, james. I did not make them up. Note the severe consequences for those who have better things to do than attend the banquet offered by the Lord.
LK 14: 14-24
The Parable of the Great Feast.
15 One of his fellow guests on hearing this said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.” 16 He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. 17 When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ 18 But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22 The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ 23 The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. 24 For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”
MT 22:1-14
The Parable of the Wedding Feast.
1 Jesus again in reply spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. 3 He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. 4 A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ 5 Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. 6 The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. 9 Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ 10 The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. 12 He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. 13 Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ 14 Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
I guess I should clarify that some mortal sins are graver than others. For example, the murder of one person is not as grave as a mass murder. The mass murder is a graver sin because of the greater injury to others and because the offense to God is greater. But, both sins are equally mortal.
Agreed.
The author claims that devout Catholics “have an interest in the subject
matter”. They post ad nauseum online about their devoutness, quoting
the Catechism and citing papal documents. I find it very taxing to
maintain my interest.
But wouldn’t it be nice if our parishes had social events for mixing and simple conversation? Where we might have polite discussion of topics like mass attendance and such? In person, nobody would walk around reading from the Cathechism. We’d be forced to interact like normal people.
Parishes in my diocese (which is also the author’s diocese) have never had such “come one, come all” gatherings in the nearly thirty years that I’ve lived here. Is it any wonder that I don’t have any Catholic friends, devout or otherwise, male or female. Until parishes rediscover a sense of community, I think we are doomed.
Larry Bud, why haven’t you start such a group instead of waiting around 30 years for someone else to do it? I bet it would be a hit. You might even ask your pastor to attend one of the meetings to explain in the most charitable way why Mass attendance is not optional.
Umm… what kind of “group” are you proposing? One that would sit around and dream up ways to take attendance at Mass and hand out gold stars? I would actively fight against such a group.
I think you have missed my point completely. Parishes do not need more “groups” of like-minded people supporting various niche causes. They need to dissolve the existing groups and do things that promotes parish unity, that give everyone an opportunity to contribute.
But since you suggested it, one thing that I am somewhat interested in is the cause of the Anonymous Singles in today’s church. When a local parish bulletin listed several activities for marrieds and couples, and nothing at all for singles, I asked why this was so, and volunteered my help. I got the usual deer-in-the-headlights look because the Church doesn’t want to believe that adult singles exist at all. But that wasn’t my point in commenting on this article.
Larry Bud –
Don’t be deterred so easily.
Are you going to let the blank stare from some parish functionary stand in your way if this is something you think the Church really needs? One thing I have learned from experience is that I can’t expect anything to get done in the Church (or my parish) by making a suggestion and offering to help. The only way things happen is if someone who is personally interested makes them happen.
If your pastor/parish won’t support any initiative for singles, I would guess there is some parish in your diocese that has a singles group. Find it and go to it. Then invest your time in it and make it grow. It may require a LOT of your time. You may have to permanently move to another parish that is more willing to support such initiatives.
Peace.
“church closings would surge”
I was thinking about this part of your reply. Nobody wants church closings to surge. I believe that may be true though – at least in the short term. In the long run, I think the Church would grow. And really, if all we care about is the number of people listed on the parish register then what are we about?
Right, it is not important how many Catholics are listed on the books. If there be
10 in the whole world the promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail was kept.
I made an account just to comment on this, but you can’t be serious right? Your trolling aren’t you?
A plan like this won’t make people come back. As a college aged cradle Catholic now on the fence(variety of reasons, but part of why I came here just to learn more about the church and what’s going on in it..), this does nothing to make me think church is where I want to spend my Sunday mornings. In fact, if someone told me “your not alowed to come here anymore” I’d almost be like “perfect, now I don’t have to feel guilty for not going.” Sure, the # of Catholic’s who go to church as a percentage would go way, way, way, up. But, how many non-goers will actually change their ways?
I can’t imagine anyone saying: “you’re not alowed to come here anymore”. I would never propose that. It would be scandalous. Though, I suppose there are some people you might have to say that to – someone who comes to Mass solely to disrupt it, for example. But when I said “They are never told that they need to either get on the bandwagon or get out” I failed to say what I meant. Or perhaps I overstated. That does sound bad.
On the other hand, the Pastor can make it very clear that he expects his parishioners to, at a minimum, adhere to the basic Precepts of the Church. And that he and the other members of the parish are available to help anyone who is having trouble doing that. And that it’s not okay to go on for years living a lie by disregarding those Precepts but everyone pretending there’s nothing wrong.
Also, you say the non-goers may not change their ways. In “high-expectations” environment, they probably will change their ways by either re-committing to live out their faith or leaving it altogether. Sure, many of those who are uncomfortable in a “high-expectations” environment will likely drift away. But that doesn’t mean we just let them go either; it means we work even harder to win them back.
I do think that the Church’s mission is severely compromised by the fact that, seemingly the vast majority of its members (at least in the United States) are lukewarm, and the Church accepts their lukewarm-ness as if nothing were seriously wrong with it. When membership does not reflect an organization’s values, the organization’s message gets lost. It’s hard to attract people to the Church when they look and see that most of its members don’t really adhere to its disciplines or appear to believe in its teachings.
Peace.
Yes, everyone has their slant on why so many people have left the Church. All the niche interests are sure their issue is the One True Issue: the pro-lifers, the TLM-ers, etc.
It’s really much simpler than that. I believe the disintegration of parish life left many people with no sense of community, no sense of needing to belong. I’ve lived in your Diocese of Phoenix almost thirty years and have never seen a mixer or social open to all. The old Catholic social networks, which our parents used to maintain Catholic friendships and marriages, are long gone and no one seems to care.
And I agree with james, that there is nothing to be gained by playing the “I’m devout and you are lukewarm” game. I’m not impressed that you’d win a game of Papal Document Trivial Pursuit.
Thank you for an excellent article. In reading it through, I recalled the Divine Mercy Novena and our Lord’s specific request for Day 9 – the final day of the Novena.
“Today bring to Me SOULS WHO HAVE BECOME LUKEWARM,* and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: ‘Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.’ For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy.”
I find it exhausting to “have an interest in the subject matter” of the Church.
Catholic Media (especially shows like Catholic Answers Live) is a never-ending parade of mostly unqualified laymen, all blaming their pet peeve for all of society’s woes. And com-boxes with articles like this are even worse – the pro-lifers have already made an appearance. The TLM’ers will surely follow close behind. And on and on.
This article is yet another attempt to divide the “devout” from the “lukewarm” and it truly saddens me. Modern parishes make no attempt to unite their parish family. All of the activities in my local parishes in the Diocese of Phoenix are small isolated niche cliques. I’ve lived here for thirty years and I have no Catholic friends, “genuine” or otherwise. There are simply no opportunities, unlike past generations where parish socials and gatherings fostered friendships and even marriages. I guess that’s my pet peeve.
Widespread contraception is the reason for the season. And it’s not only the season of abortion, in vitro fertilization and gay marriage.
Once a people start to say “that’s just the official teaching” everything else begins to unravel. And most catholic schools today are now only Catholic in name, catering instead to the needs of upper middle class with one or two children. You won’t ever hear a sermon on Humanae Vitae there, not that you’re likely to hear one at all.
EXACTLY!
We regularly got such homilies at our parish, and on other controversial issues as well.
You’re kidding? Which Diocese?
Phoenix
Ditto, ditto and ditto! Thanks for the truth.
The Revelations quote is not quite apropos; the analysis appearing inaccurate as a reason for something becoming ” lukewarm “. This condition is the result of a chaotic mixture of hot and cold – and you failed to include it in the caveat ” because … you are neither hot nor cold …” The CC today is very much both and this is a result of not being on the same page. To say non practicing Catholics have turned away from Christ to pursue secular interests is unholy speculation and uncharitable as well. In the ” three little bears story” Goldilocks rejected either hot and cold as options and looked for the one that was just right. It’s an on going process this theological niche that needs to be found – and found it will be.
This is great, David. You are spot-on! For lukewarm Catholics who want to take action to learn about the faith, I highly recommend Catholic radio, and especially Catholic Answers Live.
Hi David, Reading your article, I thought it was a short bio of my life. God Bless you Brother! When I read you were a cancer survivor I decided to post a song I wrote when I had pancreatic cancer. ONLY, by the Grace of God am I still alive! When I “Sold Out to Jesus” I lost many friends, including my blood Brothers and Sisters. I think people are “Lukewarm” because they don’t know Jesus IS God! Remember we are in a WAR and you have been given a Great Grace. (Sound quality not great) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI-oKtsdtyw