As one surveys the landscape of modern day Catholicism, it is evident that the Church is speaking to a generation of Christian faithful unlike any other in is history.
As the 21st Century dawns upon us still, the Church (and religious faith in general) has been impacted severely be a progressive secularization which manifests itself in the steady decline in Church attendance and reception of the Sacraments as well as in the dearth of vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life.
What began as a gradual drifting of the faithful from the Mass and the Sacraments has become a current which threatens to carry many away from the practice of the Faith and from a dutiful recognition of the Sovereignty of God Himself over humanity and creation.
This is especially true in Europe, once the Christian seat of Western Civilization, where more and more people are living out their lives without reference to God or His Church.
Why the steady and rapid decline?
The bedrock of Church practice has always been founded upon the three interdependent pillars of the parish, the home and the Catholic school, all of which reinforced and consolidated the practice of the Faith, all of which have suffered the assault of the secularization that has swept across the face of the Church in the closing decades of the 20th Century.
Patrick Hannon, an Irish theologian, has identified three phases in the process of secularization.
First, the retreat of religion from the public square, especially the separation of Christian natural law ethics and morality from the political forum. Second, the indifference of parents and their children toward religious belief and Sacramental practice. Third, the shift from a society where belief in God is largely presumed and unchallenged, to one in which religious faith is deemed either impractical or irrelevant.
It should be obvious how quickly the Church has been the victim of all three stages of this secularization process.
But, even worse, the confidence of the faithful in the Church’s credibility has been profoundly damaged on account of the child abuse scandals and other shameful episodes of the past. Many people feel they can no longer trust the Church’s message because they have been hurt and betrayed by their experiences.
Perhaps, what the Church is experiencing today may be partly a reaction to what generally is perceived as paternalism or even authoritarianism on the part of Church in the past.
Sadly, many Bishops have taken a defensive reaction to criticisms – sometimes by denial, claiming unfairness, even conspiracy – rather than being thankful that the lid has been lifted on a terrible and shameful chapter in Church history and at last giving a voice to those who for years have been carrying the scars of their trauma.
Is there a remedy in sight?
I believe that the Church, rather than disengaging from the world or offering endless apologies for its failings, needs to admit (1) its limitations; (2) an absolute and unquestionable commitment of faith; and (3) a compassionate and hopeful heart.
If the Church is to re-establish a relevant relationship with this and future generations of faithful, it must admit that its members, all its members, from the Supreme Pontiff himself to the ordinary lay person, are wounded by sin. We are vessels of clay which carry within us the very essence of Divinity itself. And, while each of us hopes that we may be transformed by what we contain, we admit that we can only do so feebly at best.
The Church, while she proclaims the Goodness and Love of God, will always fail to adequately reflect that goodness and love within itself. We are and will always be imperfect heralds of the Perfect Christ, We will always be in need first of the forgiveness of Christ which is our mission to offer to others. This is and will always be the Church’s greatest limitation.
And so, the Church must always be honest and humble before the message of Grace she proclaims.
Next, in its engagement with the secularized generations of this moment and the future, the Church must evidence its unshakeable faith in the Sacred Scriptures and the lessons and wisdom they contain for all humanity, for all time.
No matter what the challenge, what the problem, what the crisis, the Church’s response must always be inspired by the virtues of Biblical faith. In that faith, the Church and the world will rediscover confidence in Divine Providence and the ever-abiding Mercy of Our Heavenly Father.
And perhaps most importantly, the voice of the Church must always be compassionate and forgiving. The New Covenant is that of charity, not justice or judgment. In that gift of Divine Love, Christ has revealed that God never has and never will abandon humanity to its failings. Neither can the Church.
This is the challenge for the Church in the secularized world of the 21st Century.
Whether or not the Church will meet that challenge will be the judgment of a history yet to be realized.
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