This Sunday's Gospel shows Christ sending out his disciples two by two to spread the Good News. Their joyful return, telling that they were everywhere received with welcoming arms is wonderful, but it might seem somewhat remote to us today.
Many churchgoers have become despondent and discouraged in face of the apathy that people show towards our faith. It would seem that if Christ were to send 72 of us out today we would probably go reluctantly and not come back rejoicing like his disciples did.
Church workers are often heard lamenting the dwindling congregations and the lowering practice rates of contemporary Ireland. They hearken back to days when everybody in the community felt involved. The lamentation of their passing is still common, even though almost two generations have abandoned practice. It is probably the time to leave the seeming successes of the past on the history shelf and start looking for a positive way forward; this Sunday's Gospel could offer us that way.
A revival of faith can never be led by persistent navel-gazing - most people accept that now. Likewise, a revival in a sense of belonging cannot be forced by founding new groups and clubs to lure people back to Church. In a world where fundamentalism is nearly always a term of abuse it takes courage to advocate a little bit of the same in Christianity. But, the bottom line is that revival and renewal can only come about by returning to the fundamental principles of our faith.
The 72 disciples did not have eloquent theology or a social improvement plan; they had a simple message that they believed - to live by loving God and loving your neighbour. That message was well received wherever they went.
Maybe a return to this simplicity could attain more than all the courses, the clubs and the beautiful choirs that are currently being used in the attempt to attract people back into church!
There is a story (often told at retreats) about a pastor who announces a successful week in his church. When asked how many new adherents he received he replied: "None! Five hundred left!" This popular anecdote is so offensive to the ones who left. It is a story that judges between quality and quantity and refuses to be challenged to improve both. It also reflects a common attitude among some church personnel. This story has no regard for the fact that Christianity is ideally an attractive faith. Its basic practice and teachings are simple, yet it plunges so deep into mystery that it has something for everybody; losing 500 people is a tragedy.
Maybe the distinction between attracting and luring people should be considered. Attraction is a response to how a Christian community lives. Luring comes from emphasising how it acts. This distinction should never be forgotten, even though it often is. Keeping the right balance between the attraction of faith and the lure of good works is difficult but important. Good works are as essential as faith is. However, we always must be mindful that these works need to be based on faith, as true faith is fundamental to true growth. Faith was the welcomed message that the 72 proclaimed. Faith is the message that we are also asked to proclaim.
Tomorrow's Gospel has a message for all of us. It tells us that faith will grow only when all Christian men and women learn to attract people to faith by believing it themselves and bearing true witness to it in everything they do.
F. MacE.