Richard A. Sokerka
During the “Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America” in Orlando, Fla, July 1-4, some 3,500 church leaders — men and women religious, bishops and laypeople — gathered together to set a new course for the U.S. Catholic Church.
The U.S. bishops convened church leaders — clergy, religious, seminarians, parish volunteers and staff — with an emphasis on responding to spiritual crisis that has left so many Americans drifting away from their faith.
“Sisters and brothers, we are in a very, very significant time in our Church in this country,” said Cardinal DiNardo, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The cardinal’s strong words were backed up by many of the speakers who did not sugarcoat the challenges facing the modern Church, including the fact that Catholics are leaving the Church in greater numbers, particularly young adults, than those who are joining the Church.
According to Pope Francis, the first step in bringing these stray sheep back into the flock is prayer. In his prayer video for July he asks Catholics to join with him in praying for those who have strayed from the faith, providing hope to them through the witness of our joy and actions.
“Let us never forget that our joy is Jesus Christ — his faithful and inexhaustible love,” the Pope states at the opening of the video, depicting a man in dark-colored clothing sitting on steps outside of a Church. “When a Christian becomes sad, it means that he has distanced himself from Jesus,” he says, stressing that “we must not leave him alone!”
Rather, “we should offer him Christian hope — with our words, yes, but more with our testimony, with our freedom, with our joy,” Pope Francis says, as a second man, dressed in white, then walks out of the church and sits next to the man on the steps.
At the end of the video, the Pope makes this appeal: “Let us pray that our brothers and sisters who have strayed from the faith, through our prayer and witness to the Gospel, may rediscover the beauty of the Christian life.”
This month, be it at home or while on vacation, take that first step to bring back those who have strayed from the faith by praying for them.