Really … It's Not All About Us
When it comes to our Church, our faith and our Mission as Catholics, we Americans need to stop being so self-centered. As the headline above suggests, it’s not all about us.
Admittedly, there are more than 88 million of us Catholics in North America according to a Pew Research study I saw recently. Sounds like we make a pretty formidable group.
Depends on how and where you’re looking.
The Pew study compared numbers of Catholics in major regions across the world in 1910 to the numbers in those same regions in 2010. That comparison proved eye opening – to me, at least.
North American Catholic numbers have grown significantly – from 15.1 million in 1910 to the 88 million mentioned above. That’s impressive growth, right?
Um … not so much.
In 1910, there were 1.2 million Catholics in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2010, 171.4 million Catholics called the region home. Now THAT is impressive growth.
In 1910, there were 13.8 million Catholics in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2010, 130.5 million Catholics lived there. That, too, is impressive growth.
The Latin American-Caribbean region was home to 70.6 million Catholics in 2010. Today, 425.5 million Catholics live there. Yes … impressive growth.
See what I mean? Our Catholic faith is NOT all about us – no matter how you look at those numbers. The three non-North American regions above are home to significantly more Catholics. Each region also has experienced higher growth rates over the past century.
OK – this next section may irritate you; be warned.
Given the numbers above, what do those regions have that we don’t have? Why are Catholic numbers so much higher, and why has the growth been so much stronger over the past century?
I have some ideas.
Think about the relative wealth and standards of living in those areas. By and large, the Catholics in those other regions continue to be far closer to Jesus and His Holy Family, in terms of wealth and collective standard of living, than we are. Materialistically, we’re much better off.
Think about the suffering people have endured in those regions over the past century … the persecution. Heck, it’s still going on today in Africa and East Asia. And none of us have ever experienced the kind of persecution our Mexican brothers and sisters enduring during the Cristero War of the early 20th Century.
Our Faith is growing – in numbers and strength – across those parts of the world where, I believe, more people continue to turn often to prayer and the sacraments. They pray and receive the sacraments often because, in so many ways, they also continue to live far closer than we in America to the Israelites in the desert – that is, they have to depend on God’s providence for so much of their very existence.
With that last paragraph in mind, ask yourself:
When is the last time I prayed for those who are suffering around the world?
When is the last time I asked others to join me in those prayers?
When is the last time I went to confession?
When is the last time I made a holy hour with Eucharistic Adoration?
When is the last time I prayed for religious vocations in our diocese with sincere focus?
I saved what I believe to be the most important question for last:
What must I change to show everyone around me that I realize … it’s not all about us?
