What has caused the erosion of faith?

Every generation, as they age and come into “progression” claims that their generation was much better than the current one. “It was much simpler back then,” they say. In fact, I find myself saying those very words. Aside from being simple, though, we were held to be representatives of our families in our communities and by the guidelines of the church. The family unit had a great value and the spiritual family had the greatest value; no matter what denomination. There was great importance on how one presented themselves in God’s presence- in reverence and in physical appearance, as in “your Sunday best.” Faith and family was constant and central. Also, for the most part, only a handful of stores were open on Sundays, giving priority to rest and reflection. So what is going on here? A lot has to do with us humans coming up short, including in churches and schools, by way of scandals( no matter the denomination). However, I wonder if the true problem lies in forgetting our humanness in the way of following a path of love, compassion and truth. In other words ,what have we done with the blueprint to living that was given to us by God?

Recently, I have been drawn to faith based products and shows. One of my favorite podcasts is called ” Sips with Serra” in which a young ,clever former Protestant converted to Catholicism, shares his research to defend the Catholic faith. I find it refreshing and reassuring that there are young people out there with a good interior compass.

As of late, in searching for answers to my question of erosion in the church, I tuned into another podcast called ” The Catholic Gentlemen.” Their topic last June was on the decline of faith in the Catholic church. The guest was Father Calloway, who also converted to Catholicism and became a priest 22 years ago. He shared two surveys. In one, 69% of the Catholics surveyed here in the U. S. did not believe in the Holy Eucharist. In another survey taken in Italy, 90% of Catholics are no longer going to mass.

These two brief studies align with my observations on the current tone of our world society. We have been numbed to feel that anything we may be doing wrong, is not that bad. Sin is no longer considered . Thereby, parishioners are not going to confession acknowledging their shortcomings, so that they can keep striving to do better. Father Calloway also made the observation of long communion lines, but short confession lines. I don’t believe it’s because people are afraid or feel uncomfortable or even ashamed. I think people see it more like an out of date practice because of the numbness that has seeped into our lives.

To me, confession is a sacred experience in which I let go of sin and guilt, and receive forgiveness and a small penance. The guilt is not a bad thing because it lets me know I care enough to feel bad about something I did. I can conclude that I’m a good person, but need to do better.

One concern with how this next generation is surrendering their thought process to a device, furthering the numbness and feeling Humane. I tutor intermediate elementary and middle school students. As much as I have clearly stated that I do not want to use AI to complete an assignment, they go straight to it. This is not me being of a certain age; not liking change… because I know I am of a certain age and I do not like change. No, this is me concerned with how much we allow devices to think for us and take room in our lives, myself included. ” Well” you may be thinking, “t.v.s and calculators came into play.” True. I would also like to note, when the t.v. came into play, there was nothing that would come on that would cause an embarrassment when present with parents or children, (same with the radio in the car). Not a bad word, not a sex scene came into play when first introduced. The changes came gradually. My point of this article is that we have to be aware of the challenge of changes and we have to be willing to keep proper balance. If we don’t keep balance, and show our young people the importance of being compassionate, loving, and truthful, the value of life and family, the consequences will be dark.

The Good News-The Light is Seeping In:

Just like the older generations claim their time was better, every generation seems to repeat patterns of sin, (sex, war,broken families, drugs) and God sits patiently until we decide to return. It’s cyclical. I know, because I went through all those distractions, well almost all, and God waited for me to come back to Him.

I am comforted to know that there are good people out there, like the young man I mentioned above, that hold common values with me. I am comforted to know that St. Carlo Acutis used his devices to do good. I am comforted that there are more and more faith based shows and movies we can turn to get inspired. In fact, I am noticing more role models turning to faith and announcing themselves in that light, encouraging young people to join them. All these examples are like Light cutting into the darkness. Above all, I am comforted in my faith and it makes me sad that some people can’t see the value of having it in their lives.

Each of us has a small seed of faith that was planted long ago, deep inside our souls. It’s in there. All we need to do is honor ourselves and use any small talent we may have been gifted, to bring ourselves on the path God created for us. The image I had of God before was that He was forceful, and it was too hard to follow all those rules. Now my image of Him is one of a gentle Father, wanting the best for me. I find myself having conversations with Him and the Blessed Mother, and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I am blessed to be part of the Spiritual family, and I plan to stay on my path, and invite others to walk with me.

A Final Thought- A Simple Plan

Consider your talents great and small. Apply them to helping someone and showing them what love looks like.

” Be who God wants you to be and you will set the world on fire.”- St. Catherine of Siena