I was thinking about today’s Gospel where Jesus leaves the 99 to go to rescue the one lost sheep. His great love for us and how he goes out to rescue the lost. I love this parable as I identify with that lost sheep and later enjoying the view from his shoulders when being taken back to the flock.
I then saw this story which iterates once again that the majority of Catholics don’t go to Mass regularly and the ones who do go are mostly befuddled when it comes to basic doctrine.
Such a disastrous look at the Church in the U.S. should me that there would be an all-hands-on-deck effort towards evangelization. That this should be the number one priority the salus animarum (Salvation of souls). Yet I hardly see this as a priority when it comes to the hierarchy and various bishop conferences.
Still, thinking more about this that regardless of the times we live in that the salus animarum should always be the priority as evidenced by this Gospel reading. I would totally like to rant against the bishops and such, but then I ponder my own culpability in not making this more of a personal priority.
I also see some great efforts in evangelism predominantly from lay individuals and groups. Maybe that is as it should be since waiting for the hierarchy to lead us is often a fools dream. Certainly, there are exceptions in this regard, but they shouldn’t be just the exceptions. I do wish for a both/and in this regard that we all see the urgency to lead people to the Church and to help those already in the Church to grow in holiness.
I too often feel like we are just in maintenance mode as a Church in just trying to not lose more ground. That we don’t have the audacity of the total trust in God as evidenced by the great saints who also led many to Christ.
Plus to top it off, a bishop that understood this mission of evangelization and led many to Christ – got beatification kneecapped by some fellow bishops.
