It is a major struggle to overcome apathy, which in all actuality is the deadly sin of sloth. This is a major struggle within the Catholic Church today. All though, I would imagine this has always been a struggle. I too struggle with sloth, but usually it is in prayer life. We all struggle in prayer and we all have to learn to pray. The apathy that most bothers me personally, is how little people within the Church work to help others in need. The statistics are staggering, something like 10-20% of Catholics do all of the tithing, ministry work, and charity work. I run a ministry, so I know exactly how difficult it is to recruit people to help out.
I have only been observing this trend for about three years now, so I am not entirely sure what the source might be. Like I said previously I think the sin of sloth has a part to play. I also think that catechesis as well as what we hear from the pulpit is a major part of the problem. Not all priests are charismatic in their delivery, but all priests should be reminding us that the poor among us are in fact OUR RESPONSIBILITY.
This is on my mind because earlier this week a friend of mine narrowly escaped death by the grace of God when she had rapid onset eclampsia and went into cardiac arrest. She was resuscitated and her baby girl was born at 29 weeks and will now spend a couple of months in the NICU. My friend is stable, but will have a long road to recovery. Perhaps moms and babies pull harder on my heart strings because I believe that God has called me to work with the poor through crisis pregnancies and bringing about the end of abortion. My friend was not in a crisis pregnancy, but her medical costs will be substantial, even with insurance and she will need help. A co-worker of hers set up a fund page and is raising money for her. Being plugged into the pro-life community in the area and the Catholic community, I thought that I would work to collect items such as diapers and wipes for her. My husband and I have already given her our extra baby items, so she has the big stuff covered.
What is a big part of my job as a Christian? To be the face of Christ to the world. How can I best do that? In an infinite number of ways, but one of the biggest is helping people in their hour of need. I try to do this every time I get word that someone is in need, whether it be through my own means or my ministry's means. I am not tooting my own horn here. I am merely stating that this is how it should be. Is it a sacrifice? You bet. It takes time, money, and prayer. So how can I serve a woman in need? By being at her side, prayer, and financial giving. As is always the case, the usual supporters have come out of the wood-work to provide items to help my friend, as well as some women in the area who are in crisis pregnancy situations. This is not just a struggle I have been faced with this week. This is an ongoing problem in my parish and not just for my ministry. When we have baby showers at the parish for Catholic Charities folks are very generous, but it is the same people over and over again who help. How do we motivate the other 80% to either give of their time or their financial means? I have been out there, let me tell you, welfare is not cutting it, nor should it.
The responsibility for our neighbor is on us. Christ tells us that 'whatever we do to the least of these, we do it unto Him.' These are powerful and frightening words. How do we get this message across to people? In asking people for help this week I have been rather astonished at the total apathy. I am amazed that other moms can ignore helping another mom in need. How hard is it to buy a $6 pack of diapers for a family in need, or even a $16 canister of formula for a single father? Where is the disconnect? Are we so wrapped up in ourselves that we have become desensitized to the plight of the afflicted? Have we become so dependent on the government taking care of the poor that we have convinced ourselves that it is not our problem? That's a great explanation for a secular person, but a sinful one for a Catholic.
There are four amazing women who serve in my ministry with me and there are many other wonderful people who serve our community in our parish. Can you imagine if 100% of the Catholic community was doing its part? Can you imagine if 100% of the Catholic community just helped one person in need a year? It should not be like pulling teeth to get people to help. I am sinful. I fall short too. Sloth is a sin I know very well. The fact of the matter is that I must work to overcome it. How do we overcome this problem? I would love to hear some answers. I think that Pope Francis is doing a wonderful job of all calling each one of us out. He is reminding us that Christ uses each one of us to lead others to Him. We are responsible for each other and we all need to work to stop ignoring His call. I fall short frequently, but then I remember Christ's call, and just how much the world needs Him.
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