Urgent Need for Catholic Revival

by Letters Editor · September 10, 2015

From Emeritus Professor Nicholas J Basson, Cape Town

I am in agreement with many of the issues which Deidre Lewis (�Church needs important revival�, August 19) elucidated. Let me highlight a few of my own observations, which, in my humble opinion as a convert to Catholicism, call out urgently for revival.

We should sing out of obedience – knowing God is always worthy of praise

Firstly, Ms Lewis correctly states that there is little fellowship in the Catholic Church; most parishioners simply bypass each other after Mass, with many making a rush to the parking lot to leave the confines of the church.

The only real contact made is during the sign of peace. Only those who belong to various societies, Bible groups and so on, are in regular contact with each other. The annual bazaar or fundraising event is possibly the only other opportunity when Catholics get to �socialise�.

It is also quite disheartening to observe just how deserted the area in front of the church is after Mass, with but a handful of parishioners exchanging pleasantries or simply just introducing themselves.

We can certainly take a lesson from our Protestant brethren who congregate amicably after a service as a sign of Christian brotherhood.

My second point concerns our responses during Mass.

If we profess to be followers of Christ, we should be enthusiastic about our responses. The recitation of the Creed is a feeble mumbling with no conviction evident.

When we say �Amen� do we really mean it ? Or is it but a plea to �please get on with it�?

Our priests tell us that singing is a prayer, and rightly so. Scripture explains why Christians should sing and even what they should sing.

Jesus himself sang a hymn at the Last Supper (Mt 26:30, Mk 14:26). The psalmist urges us to worship with music. Psalm 100: 2 says: �Serve the Lord with gladness, come before his presence singing.�

Surely we do not need to be opera singers or trained soloists for us to raise our voices enthusiastically in songs of praise.

Thirdly, I have on many occasions attended services at independent churches and have never witnessed a congregation leaving the church during the singing of the final hymn. In fact, not even the pastor/minister leaves the pulpit during the singing of the hymn.

Fourthly, many Catholics do not even wait for the celebrant to genuflect in front of the altar after the final blessing, and have been seen to walk down the aisle in front of the priest. What a sign of abject disrespect!

We are prepared to watch a rugby or soccer match for 90 minutes, but an hour in the company of God�s people in his church is almost unbearable for some. Yet we call ourselves Christians and Catholics.

Indeed, Ms Lewis, we, as a Church, need to do some serious soul-searching in order to become relevant and recognised again.

We are losing our young people (and even our older ones) to other more vibrant religious denominations where the emphasis is on being Christian in the true sense of the word, having respect for religious procedure and not treating our obligatory attendance at church as simply being a means to an end.