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6/14/2018

Tired of hearing the same, time-worn excuses for why people don’t attend church services?

Director’s Reflection

Dear Companions on the Journey,

A smile to begin with…

Tired of hearing the same, time-worn excuses for why people don’t attend church services, Rev. Sydney Lain of Dublin wrote these for his parish paper: Ten Reasons Why I Never Wash:

1. I was not made to wash as a child.
2. People who wash are hypocrites…They reckon they are cleaner than other people.
3. There are so many different kinds of soap, I could never decide which one was right.
4. I used to wash, but it got boring, so I stopped.
5. I still wash on special occasions, like Christmas and Easter.
6. None of my friends wash.
7. I’m still young—when I’m older and have got a bit dirtier I might start washing.
8. I really don’t have time.
9. The bathroom’s never warm enough.
10. People who make soap are only after your money.

End of smile.

I don’t think it’s a good idea to see “church going” primarily as an obligation – like exercise and avoiding junk food. But at summer’s beginning, I would like to raise this issue as to the importance of your coming on Sunday to be one of the Body of Christ for others. That is, beginning not with an obligation, but with the self-understanding: “As a committed follower of Jesus, I commit myself to being present at the Table, to be nourished by the Word, by the Eucharist, and to be a community for others.” Not primarily about me, but about Christ and being his Body on earth for others.

What do you think?
And let us pray for/with one another.
Michael
The Paulist Center