The Church: Why Bother?

For some reason, fewer and fewer young people bother to show up at Mass on Sunday. When someone normally says something like this, I cringe because I fear they are about to launch into a tirade against the world. This article will not offer a tirade. It will not aim to make you feel lousy.

In reality most teens are insanely busy. Busy with studies and sports, active in youth groups or programs connected to the campus ministry, establishing independence from family...these things take a lot of time. Whatever the reason, we would like to offer three good reasons why you should consider going to church this weekend and invite your consideration.

Cultivation of You, Me, Us, and Creation

As Christians we say that God has a special interest in changing the world through each and every one of our efforts. We believe that God is active creating, redeeming, and sanctifying all of Creation and that God invites us into this activity. Experience shows us that this is a really huge claim: Just take an honest look around and you will be reminded that Creation is currently a mess. The role of the church in this situation is to cultivate a sense of community by holding before us Jesus' radical lifestyle. The church is the starting place where this transformation begins: As one body gathered around a table, sharing a common meal, and washing one another's feet.

Community of Risk-takers

If we claim that God is active in creating, redeeming, and sustaining the world the church must engage in the struggle to create a context in which creating, redeeming, and sanctifying the world is possible. We live in a society that either cynically dismisses or brushes aside radical voices and visions. In his own lifetime Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. experienced both of these responses in his quest for the Beloved Community. In spite this cynicism and the callousness of this society, Dr. King held resolutely to the resources provided by his faith community. Faith is about stepping out of your comfort zone and taking risks. Risk loving someone who may not love you back, risk forgiving someone you would rather loathe, risk taking a stand for the passion God has instilled within you. The role of the church in each of these acts of faith is as a community within which sharing, praying and supporting are lived out in daily life.

Our New Reality in Christ

If we could take into our hearts the words uttered during our baptism, all of our lives would be different. Unfortunately, most of us are one month old! Through baptism we are reminded that our dignity, our sense of who we are and why we exist, are God given. No one and nothing can remove that dignity. The role of the church in this sense is to serve as a community of specific practices, called liturgy, that remind us thorough concrete tangible ways of God's boundless love.

In short, the church is more than just a building to enter and exit. Being church is a concrete way of authentically living with oneself, with others, and with all of Creation. In a world divided by tragedies of all kinds, the church is, in the words of Timothy Radcliffe, OP, "a home for everyone, especially those whose lives are a mess." The church is my home. The church is your home. The church is our home. All are welcome in this place.

Reflection Questions

What are some of the things holding you back from participating more fully in the church?

Are there things you have been holding out for before returning to church?

Join us in our Forum to discuss these questions!