In today’s society, we need to be entertained all the time. We also don’t like to be offended. If something or someone doesn’t please us, we change the channel, leave, or stop associating with the offending person. Cancel culture is the new catch phrase for modern times.
The Catholic Church and Christianity as a whole are not exempt from cancel culture. Church attendance has been steadily dwindling. COVID-19 is not the cause of it, but has exacerbated the problem. More and more people are not putting their faith as a priority in their life or they have lost their faith completely.
As more adults fall away from the Church and their faith, they aren’t passing the faith down to their children. When a child grows up learning that it isn’t important to go to church, they don’t go to church. When a child grows up in a family that never prays, they never pray. A great moment for catechesis is lost when children ask their parents why they should go to church or pray and the parents answer is because you have to. We watch our children grow up and wonder why they lose faith. We always told them they should love God and go to church, but never told them why.
There are many reasons why people lose their faith. Most of the clergy have gotten too soft and lax in talking about the faith. They are too afraid of upsetting or offending someone, that they avoid bringing up touchy subjects. Instead, they often preach “feel good” homilies that don’t condemn bad behavior. The priest, like a doctor, should know what ills are plaguing his community and bring attention to them. We need to improve religious education in our Catholic schools and catechesis classes for public schools. Sometimes the education the kids get is too basic and it doesn’t go deep enough to get a great religious education. We have a Catholic school at our church, but I hardly ever see children at Mass.
A lot of reverence has also been lost at Mass. People are grabbing the Eucharist with one hand and sticking it under their mask like it is a cracker. After receiving Jesus into our body, we get to listen to how the church needs more mac and cheese for the food pantry and then we sing happy birthday to Mr. So and So who is turning 85. It’s no wonder more and more people doubt the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. After the priest processes out of the church, everyone claps as if they just watched a play.
Sometimes, I feel like Jesus would love to come down and flip over some tables in modern day churches. We need to try to make our churches better and more reverent. We need to improve our catechesis and teach our kids not only by word but by example. The flame starts within yourself and your family and proceeds outward to the community. We as a Christian community are all the bride of Christ. When we marry someone, we promise to love each other in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. Times are bad and the Church is sick! Instead of canceling the Church, bring on the love and help make it a better place.
