Market Share Doesn’t Matter

Homily for May 17, 2015 (Ascension of the Lord)
Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47 (vv.); Ephesians 1:17-23; Mark 16:15-20

The Pew Forum just released the results of its latest survey of the religious beliefs and practices of adults in the USA. They show that while our nation still has the highest percentage people in the world identifying themselves as Christian (70%), that percentage is declining.  Meanwhile, the fastest growing group of adults—and particularly young adults—are those describing themselves as religiously unaffiliated. In fact, the percentage of adults surveyed identifying themselves as “nones” now exceeds the percentage of those identifying themselves as Catholics!

As he prepared to ascend to heaven following his resurrection, Jesus commanded his disciples:  “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”  They started close to home, among their families, friends and neighbors in Jerusalem; but within a short time, particularly through the efforts of St. Paul and the other apostles, that mission expanded to other parts of Palestine, to the furthest reaches of the Roman Empire and beyond.  Today, many of the places once thought of as mission territories—especially parts of Africa and Asia—are the fastest growing parts of the church; while many of the traditionally Christian parts of Europe and North America are becoming increasingly secularized.

When I was growing up, being a missionary meant going to another continent.  Today it could just as well mean going into the next room.  Recognizing this reality, Pope Francis has called all of us, by virtue of our baptism, to be “missionary disciples:”

All of us are called to offer others an explicit witness to the saving love of the Lord, who despite our imperfections offers us his closeness, his word and his strength, and gives meaning to our lives. In your heart you know that it is not the same to live without him; what you have come to realize, what has helped you to live and given you hope, is what you also need to communicate to others. Our falling short of perfection should be no excuse; on the contrary, mission is a constant stimulus not to remain mired in mediocrity but to continue growing (Evangelii Gaudium 121).

This isn’t something that we can or should leave to the “professionals” like priests, religious or catechists and other lay ministers.  Training and knowledge are obviously helpful, but a person who has a great story or testimony to share can often be more inviting and compelling, especially for those who are skeptical about “organized religion” and other institutions.  We live in an age that highly values personal choice and experience.  People want and need to know the impact that a relationship with God has had on our lives—how it’s made a difference in how we live and how it’s been a blessing as well as a challenge for us.

The good news is that Jesus has already equipped us—all of us—with the Holy Spirit, even as those gifts are manifested in different ways.  As we grow in wisdom and knowledge of God, through prayer, reflection and experience, we grow in our capacity to share what we have seen and heard (1 John 1:1-3).  That is, we grow in spiritual power.  The remarkable transformation of Jesus’ disciples from fearfully huddling in a room following his death to boldly proclaiming the gospel and inviting people to join the Way is a testament to what that power can do.

Few of us can drink poison and be unaffected; and most of us aren’t going to go out of our way to pick up snakes.  However, God’s power can be manifested in many other ways:  overcoming an addiction, helping a neighbor, transforming a ministry on life support into something more vital and effective, bringing someone (back) into the church, and helping to change a community battered by poverty, crime and despair into a place of hope and renewal.  What matters is not popularity or “market share” but the difference we make—that God makes—in the world.  +