I
remember hearing the story of an attorney in the US who had no time
for religion. Each morning as he drove to work he would pass an
old woman in his neighbourhood who was on her way to mass. He
would usually pass her as she made her way up a steep hill near the
church. This hill was difficult for her because it was very
steep, but she was determined to get to mass. In his mind he
laughed at her and at the stupidity of those who waste their time
with such things as religion.
One
morning in winter it was quite icy and as he headed off to work he
didn’t expect to see the woman as the paths were dangerous.
Then to his astonishment he passed her making her way up the steep
hill on her hands and knees. The mass meant so much to this
woman that she would get there no matter what. Apparently this
brought about his conversion, he was so shocked at what he saw.
In
recent years many people have dropped away from going to church or to
mass. Many younger people especially don’t seem to be able to
relate to organised religion. In one way I am not at all
surprise at this, because it has been presented in such a negative
way. So often the Church is seen as an oppressive organisation
which is obsessed with rules, regulations and strange rituals.
Who would want to be part of such a thing? I certainly wouldn’t
if that was how I saw it. I believe what many people are
searching for is an authentic experience of God, which must come
before rules and regulations. For many people, this is
what is missing. Once our relationship with God begins to grow, then
the rules and regulations begin to fit into place, but it cannot be
the other way around.
It
is tempting to think that it is all over for the Church and organised
religion, and that it is only a matter of time before it is gone.
This would be true if it came down to human power only, but remember
that behind what we can see is the power of God at work.
Whenever the Church seems to be going ‘stale’, or seems to be
less inspiring for people, God raises up men and women who inspire us
again and to point us in the right direction.
A
few years ago I read a book called The Heavenly Man about a
young man in China to whom God began speaking when he was just
sixteen. He was born in 1958, which means he is only 56 today.
This man Yun, was not a Christian and knew hardly anything about God,
but God revealed himself to him and used him to start spreading the
Christian faith in China. He suffered terrible persecution from
the authorities, who did everything they could to try and stop him.
He was imprisoned several times and at this stage lives outside of
China. Although he came from an extremely poor background and
had almost no education, God filled this man with such fire that
thousands of people all over China came to believe in God through
him. People were very inspired by him because his faith was
obviously something alive and on fire. That kind of faith is always
contagious. He is just one example of the many ways that God
puts life back into his Church.
Another way it seems to be
happening today is through a mystic I mentioned a few months back
known as Anne a lay apostle. Through her a whole movement has started which is known as Direction for Our Times and that's exactly what it is. She is a mother of six, and
through her books many people are also being inspired to grow in their relationship with God. Since
2005 when her writings started to be published, over one million copies have already
been sold worldwide and her writings have already been translated
into numerous languages. They can hardly keep up with the
demand. The reason why this is happening is because we need inspiration and
so the Lord God sends us the people we need to help us.
The
one thing that is striking about all these different people and how
God uses them, is that people are reintroduced to God through a
relationship with him. The experience of God has to come first
and then the various rules begin to fit into place, because then and
only then, people want to know how they are supposed to live that
relationship.
How
does this apply to us? Well first I think it is good to know
that all these people are being inspired so that we don’t become
discouraged. It is also a reminder of how close the Lord is to
us and looking after our needs. What we are called to do is to live
our faith as well as we can. If God is at the heart of all that
we do, then we are constantly bearing witness to the people around
us. Our love for God has to be in the first place. Everything
else comes from this.
You must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first
and greatest commandment.
The
more difficult challenge for us is to be able to love, respect and be
tolerant of the people around us, who can often be challenging and
difficult. However, the strength and ability to love and respect the
people around us comes from our relationship with God. That’s why
the commandment to love God has to be first. The more our
relationship with God develops, the more we are enabled to love the
people around us. We need grace, or what you might call divine
help to do this. That is why we keep returning to mass each week, to
be guided and inspired by the word of God and then to receive the
Eucharist—Jesus himself—into our own bodies. With this divine
strength and help we are enabled to love the people around us.
You must
love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and
with all your mind...and your neighbour as yourself.
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