Catholic Diocese of Broome

On a long plane journey recently I browsed through a book that is most surely tailored for this era of economic downturn. The title is engaging: Selling in Tough Times – Secrets to Selling When Nobody’s Buying. The publication was written by someone who is obviously an optimist, determined and able to sell his book despite the enduring financial gloom.

In like manner, it occurred to me that we would do well to reflect upon the reality that we are living in an era of religious and spiritual downturn. It would appear that no matter what we say or do, at least in the western world, it is near impossible to convey to the general populace what value there is in them accepting faith in God and developing a relationship with Christ in his worshipping community. Modern living in the fast lane has rendered peoples’ lives simply too cluttered, too disjointed, direction-less, convoluted and confounding to let the light of belief shine in.

Over the past thirty-five years or so, certain changes in patterns of belief and practice that are a cause for considerable worry have developed in Australia: numbers of people participating in the life of the Church are still declining; there is an apparent unwillingness among the baptized to adhere to professed Doctrine and Morals; there is an impoverished sense of ecclesiology among a significant number of those still claiming religious affiliation; there are growing numbers of unbaptized people in our midst and a notable increase among those sporting God-less views. Even our new Prime Minister is a self-confessed atheist and she doesn’t mind who knows it!

Many Christian parents express often enough their frustration at being unable to pass on to their children important religious values, including what worth there is in practising their faith in communion with the Church. The Good News is spoken but it is falling on deaf ears. In our time the secular, the obscene, the banal and the mediocre are in the ascendancy while the richness that faith holds for those who are led into God’s wonderful light goes largely unnoticed. So, what can we do?

Simply by recognizing that we live in a period that is an overwhelmingly secular age is a good beginning to formulating a strategy or at least coping with the situation. It helps us to understand much of the prejudice and the ignorance regarding religion that we encounter daily. Secondly, a steadfast patience in our dealings with secular people is of paramount importance. No amount of ear-bashing on our part will steer those who live in error away from their hollow philosophy. Be content to witness by what you do and say and be prepared to forgive and be forgiven. This is foundational to an authentic Christian vocation. Maintaining personal holiness as a prerequisite to a life well lived is essential if we are to avoid the pitfalls of secularism ourselves. We need to understand that pursuing a prayer-filled love for Christ is the most constructive response towards unbelief of which we are capable. Thirdly, with regard to the challenges we face, don’t blame yourself nor others for that matter. Post-Modern man in his confusion has hatched a storm of secularist ideology and we just have to sit it out. In the words of Mother Therese we are not called to be successful but rather to be faithful. Being faithful means, among other things, living peacefully with that which we cannot change.

The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has fine-tuned his efforts in recent times to the re-evangelization of Europe. To this end he has established a Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation which will endeavour “to find the appropriate means to propose again the perennial truth of the Gospel of Christ.” Without a doubt, both there in Europe and here in Australia, much remains to be done. These are tough times but it is no time for gloom. That is best left to those without faith while the Christians remain patient, prayerful and hopeful – ever content to leave much of what needs to be done to God.