We have been reading somewhat depressing news about the Church and the faith for some time now. Apart from the sex abuse scandals we have also been reading about the dwindling numbers of people attending Mass, the ageing clergy and lack of vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life. On an even more important level, values promoted by the Church are being completely ignored and/or ridiculed.
[attach id=722259 size="medium" align="right"]The Martyrdom of St Bartholomew by Jusepe de Ribera at Maria collegiate church, Osuna, Spain. Photo: AFP/Leemage[/attach]
Pope Francis has brought in some fresh air and he is admired by many, Christian and non-Christian alike. Yet he seems to be experiencing the same thing that Jesus himself did, namely, that while people are attracted to his personality they are not very willing to embrace the values he is promoting.
However, if we widen our vision we would realise that the picture is not so bleak. In Africa and Asia, the Church is growing and vocations are flourishing. The number of Christians is increasing even in countries like China.
Then, there is another thing happening which is sad and joyful at the same time. Many Christians are being either persecuted or even killed because of their faith.
In an article in The Tablet of April 19, Rupert Shortt wrote that “Christians are by some distance the most faith group oppressed on earth”. Only a couple of days later we read about the massacre of Christians in Sri Lanka, and a little after that about the killing of 10 Christians – a priest and nine lay people – plus two more deadly attacks in Burkina Faso.
These events do not make us happy. On the other hand, people who are dying for their faith communicate a very strong message. None of these people had sought death but they all died because of their faith.
Tawadros Youssef, one of the Egyptian Coptic Christians martyred in Libya, was warned that his Christian name, Theodore, might anger Muslim radicals. His response was astounding: “Anyone who starts changing his name will end up changing his faith.” These people could be simple Christians, some of them even illiterate, but they hold to their faith very tightly.
All this makes us think. These people, unlike us, live in countries where Christians are in a minority and, oftentimes, a very small minority, surrounded by people of other religions who are rather intolerant towards those who have different beliefs from them. Yet they persist, even though they are aware that they are living under the shadow of persecution and death.
In the West, Christians are not under the same predicament. The Church is attacked in a different way and its teaching is ignored, but Christians are not threatened with physical harm. Life and limb are safe.
Obviously, the Church is considered to be quite harmless by society. The consequence of this is that the Church has become snug. We have our feasts, we have our devotions; we worship with tranquillity, even if we quarrel about the language we use. We give great importance to our churches and to the titles that are given to them. Our clergy seek recognition, titles, the right to add some colour to their soutanes.
One wonders whether this explains, at least partially, the present crisis of the Church. Possibly what we are preaching are not the Gospel values but some contraptions of our own, much like the Jews interpreted the Mosaic law. And maybe this is one reason why we are decreasing and our persecuted brethren are increasing. We have ceased being the salt of the earth!