Church Closings and our Faith

The For Sale signs are up, the doors are locked. Where has everybody gone?
It is a tragedy that church closings are inevitable. These old buildings, with their stained glass windows, and wooden pews were to many, especially the elderly, a place they considered home. They were baptized there, made their First Communion and Reconciliation, they made their Confirmation and many even were married in these beautiful, familiar churches.
I think with great tragedy comes great grace. It is only through trial and suffering do we grow, and hopefully along the way learn something about ourselves we never knew before. Only thirty-three percent of all Catholics go to Mass weekly. The core of the family is disintegrating. We no longer take our children to this familiar building, they can learn to call home for themselves. We live such over scheduled, hectic lives, we have decided consciously or not there is no time for church on Sunday. We stop going; we stop bringing our children. Our lives become more hectic, more out of control. The one time we could allow ourselves to slow down, to teach our children the importance of slowing down, we stop going. We omit the one sure thing in this world, going to Mass, going to church on Sunday. If we no longer go, if we no longer teach our children this most important aspect of their faith, then it is inevitable that the churches will close. We have no one else to blame but ourselves.
If we are the families going to church, then we need to ask ourselves if we do as is requested of us at the end of every Mass, do we go in peace, and make disciples of the entire world? Are we radiating Christ in all those we meet and pass through out the day? On the other hand, are we shaking our fists in the air at the person cutting us off in line? Are we shaking our heads in disgust at the person with one extra item in front of us in the twelve items or less line? Are we living our Catholic faith? Do we receive the Eucharist in a state of grace? Are we taking advantage of God’s great mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? If every Catholic lived according to the churches teaching, and radiated Christ to the entire world, then I believe there would not be enough churches to hold all of those who wanted to be apart of the Catholic Church.
I think that apart from looking at the parishioners of these parishes, it is also important to look at our priests. Not necessarily the ones whose parishes are closing, but the priests as a whole. Are they preaching according to the Churches teaching? Following their shepherd, the Bishop of Rome, our Pope? Are they deciding to follow a liberal agenda according to the way they think things should be? Or are they just avoiding the tough issues and not preaching the fullness of truth. Our priests have a responsibility to teach their parishioners the whole truth. My father always told me that I was responsible to get my children and my husband to heaven. How much of a greater responsibility these Fathers have to their parishes, and making sure their parishioners get to heaven.
No matter who you are or what religion you practice, people are intrinsically attracted to the truth. We are all created in the image and likeness of God, who is truth. Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, the Life" (John 14:6). The Catholic Church has always defended and never backed down to society pressures, the basic moral teaching which protects life in all stages of development. It is the only organized institution that can proclaim that. If our priests are looking a blind eye to our societies problems of abortion, contraception and euthanasia, never giving a homily on these tragedies, then the Truth to its fullest is never revealed. Then people stop coming; nothing attracts them to the church, consciously or not. We look like any other institution you can find, anywhere else in the world. Nothing sets us apart from all the rest.
Indeed, the Catholic Churches teaching does set us apart from other Christian denominations, but it is something the people need to hear. Unfortunately, if you were brought up a cradle Catholic and received minimal catechetical training, you probably do not know the fullness of your faith. Catholics do not seem to take the time to learn their own proclaimed faith, and our priests are not giving homilies on basic moral teachings of our church. As hard as the Truth is to face at times, humans will always be subconsciously attracted to it. If you preach it they will come … we need to pray for our priests, that the Holy Spirit protects them, and gives them the virtue of courage, to lead their children into Everlasting Life. We need to pray that God blesses us with more holy priests to serve His church. We need to encourage this holy vocation within families, with our children. This is done through stillness, encouraging quiet moments for prayer. Our children can not hear God speaking to their hearts unless they are still, quiet and not over scheduled. God will come to us in whispers...create environments that allow them to hear Him speaking to their heart.
I was watching a report on television news about another church closing. The parishioners had lost in an appeal process to the Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts that would keep their much-loved church open. Sadly, an older gentleman responded to the reporter, that this was it, he would no longer go to church anymore. I thought how sad it was that he did not know the source and summit of his faith. The Eucharist, as was proclaimed by the Second Vatican Council (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 11). This is what distinguishes us from all other Christian denominations. The Sacraments, more importantly, the Eucharist. We go to church not for the mediocre music, or the beautiful stained glass windows, we go to church for the Eucharist. So we can receive our God, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. So we can have our daily bread, for the journey of life. Yes, we will miss that old building we knew as home. I pray though that we do not miss a life of receiving our God in the Eucharist, because our beautiful church must close its doors. One can only hope, that through this great tragedy of church closings, we will somehow be touched by the Holy Spirit, to remember why we are Catholic to begin with. May God awaken our stale, just going through the motion attitude and reveal to us His real presence in the Eucharist. May it set us forth on a journey to truly know our Catholic faith. To read about the lives of our early church fathers, and the saints, and see how truly awesome a gift we have been given. Then, may we radiate Jesus in a way we never thought was possible.
We need to remember, as wonderful as the building is we called home, God has a way of setting us in a place we can do the most productive work for His Kingdom. These lives we live are a journey. We are on a pilgrimage; our home is in heaven. That is what God created us for, to be with Him forever. He created us for Himself. So keep going to Mass, to church, to whichever church God leads you. Receive the Eucharist with all the zeal and reverence of knowing you are receiving Jesus Himself. Allowing God to use you in this new place, and transform you according to His will. We are all here to accomplish something. Be open to see God working in your life. Transform the sadness you feel, of losing your much-loved, familiar church, to an opportunity of pleasing God in this new place He is calling you. Ask yourself what great work God is calling you to in this new church, and quiet yourself to hear His reply. We are His hands and feet here on Earth. Live your life, in this new place, to a degree, which enables you to transform the hearts and souls around you. God has given us all the "tools" to get to heaven. The Sacraments, use them, and make saints of yourself.