Well, the first thing I saw was a brief article posted about how 3.7 million people attended the World Youth Day Mass on Sunday. Yikes! That's impressive.
It reminds me of a meme I saw recently:
I was thinking about this meme the other day. I remember using this line of argument while doing my teacher practicum at the awful Bishop Tonnos high school in Ancaster, ON. There the students would try to threaten me by boldly claiming how they didn't believe in the Eucharist (cannibalism was the buzz word there), and that they had no plans of ever calling themselves Catholic. I would reply that there are over 30,000 new Catholic every day, and that the Church would scrape by until they came to their senses. In other words, "I couldn't hear you over 1.2 billion Catholics."
"I didn't heard what Jeremy said. I had my two Stanley Cup rings plugging my ear."
But the fact is, if there were really 1.2 billion Catholics then there'd be no abortion, gay marriage, decreasing birth rates, and so on. 1.2 billion is just a number that really means nothing. How many faithful practicing Catholics are there? The devil once told St. John Vianney that if there were 5 more in the world like him, the demons would have no effect on the world. 1.2 billion. Heck, 7 billion. It doesn't mean much if it's just Catholic in name.
So going back to World Youth Day. Are we supposed to rejoice in the numbers? Maybe a little. On the other hand, I'm sure WYD is a mixed bag. I'm sure many of the 3.7 million were devout Catholics who had their faith deepened over the week. I'm sure many were hit and miss Catholics who, in being open to the Holy Spirit, will experience some real conversion and growth in their lives. And I'm sure many were there who probably haven't taken their faith too seriously, and after the buzz of WYD decreases, will return to their previous ways of living.
The bottom line for me is this: in a very real sense it is easier to plan months and years in advance, save lots of money, get the necessary travel papers, meticulously pack and plan, and go to WYD in Brazil through crazy busy conditions - then it is to go to Mass everyday at a nearby church.
In other words, we don't necessarily need 3.7 million people flocking to Brazil for a Papal Mass. We need these 3.7 million people flocking to Mass, DAILY MASS, each and every time they are able. I can't look at 3,700,000 and then see the 8 or so people at our parish daily Mass (most of whom are flaming libs) and think: "gee, the faith has never been stronger!" It doesn't quite add up. Let's hope and pray that the 3.7 million, and the rest of us Catholics, live like real Catholics.
How about this: "I'm sorry, did you say the Church is dwindling? I couldn't hear you over the packed church at daily Mass this morning!"
Now that sounds better.