“Is it all worthwhile, we ask in worldly wise?” A question asked in an old novena prayer.

I woke up today asking that question about the mission at Plainville.

The number of people who came to the services wasn’t impressive. Maybe 200 for the two services in the morning and evening. It was good to see the young people preparing for confirmation there in the evening. The priests of the parish were there too.

What surprised me was the number of visits to this blog during the mission, over 500 for the 4 days. I invited the people on Sunday to visit the blog, to invite others to follow it as a way of making the mission, and they evidently responded. How can I expand that part of the mission I wonder now?

I’m convinced  missions should be more catechetical and scriptural in nature. People need to reflect on their faith and they can do this by reflecting on the scriptures that communicate faith. So much of this is done through the liturgy; yet as people stop going to church they miss out on this vital communication. This is especially true of young people.

I thought our services were beautiful this week. Simple, prayerful, with beautiful music .

I had an interesting talk after the mission with Jean, the catechist at Our Lady of Mercy. They use the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for their very young children and an intergenerational approach for the rest of their program. They bring old and young together to learn. After a number of years, this program using the scriptures as its base seems to be gaining acceptance.

Jean thinks the lack of religion in the home has a lot to do with the drift of young people away from the church. You don’t talk about Jesus Christ, the gospels, the issues of life that faith raises, at home. Our people are confused by the times and by the scandals in the church.

Yet, as the readings from John remind us in these last weeks of Lent, Jesus Christ is the  source of life for us and for our world. We cannot ignore him.

During this mission I became more convinced that the traditional goal of the Passionists is still vital: to preach the Passion of Jesus Christ. He is there on the Cross of Confusion and the Cross of Uncertainty and the Cross of Diminishment we are experiencing in our world. Our dreams of success are bursting. We need to put ourselves into the hands of a mysterious God as Jesus did.

How shall we fulfill that goal today? I wish I knew. But it will come to us.

“Is it all worthwhile, we ask in worldly wise? Yes!”