HIDDEN CATHOLICS

SABBATH

I will never forget an incident that I witnessed in a fast food chain. A young family with two kids in tow was about to start eating their “happy meal.” The father was going to take a big bite when the younger kid said, “Dad, we still have to pray (say grace).” But the father said, “Shhhhh, there are plenty of people here. We’ll just pray later at home.” The innocent kid retorted quite loudly, “Ahhh, so it’s only in the house that we are to pray before eating.” The father had to hush his son as he turned pale, embarrassed by the whole thing. This is not something that rarely happens. In a country with a population that’s 85 percent Catholic, how do we explain the small turnout of Sunday Mass goers? Majority of us are Catholics by name only, nominal Catholics we call them. We gain membership simply by baptism, some become lights on lampstands that others see, some remain under bushel baskets that do not give even the faintest light or are simply far from other people’s sight. If some of us who are already Sunday Mass goers sometimes excuse ourselves from doing the external exercises of the faith, can we blame the nominal Catholics for remaining obscure or even unseen? Belief in Christ must never be concealed. It should always be conspicuous. Believers should never be ashamed to let other people know that they profess faith in Christ. Fr. Sandy V. Enhaynes Reflection Question: Are you like the majority of Catholics who are hiding their beliefs and practices, afraid to let others see them? Lord, make me bold enough to proclaim and let the whole world see that I am a Catholic not only by baptism but by conviction. St. Maria de Cerevellon, pray for us.