Christianity has experienced at least two Great Awakenings in America’s religious history. Great Awakenings in America were periods of intense religious revivalism that reshaped American culture, piety, and social reform across several centuries. These movements, particularly the First (1730s-1740s) and Second (1790s-1840s), promoted individual salvation, evangelicalism, and democratic ideals. Led by Protestant preachers like Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and later Charles Finney, these movements emphasized emotional, evangelical preaching over formal church doctrine. The later wave featured large revival meetings sparking major reform movements like abolition, prohibition and votes for women.
Religious news agencies today hopefully report an incipient religious revival in our own era. Many new converts are younger adults or young professionals seeking a traditional faith, structure, and community amid a fractured, secular society. The National Catholic Register recently observed promising activity here in our own diocese: “Edward Trendowski, director of the Office of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Providence, told the Register he has noticed an unusual spirit of inquiry among people he runs into, including the woman who cut his hair recently, who told him she was raised a Pentecostal but is thinking about joining either the Catholic or Orthodox Churches, and that she has been reading the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. ‘People seem to be more spiritually open,’ Trendowski said. ‘We know deep down that there’s something more. I think people grasp that intuitively somehow. People are looking for something deeper.”
Jesus was certainly concerned about extending the Gospel message as far and as wide and as deep as possible. In this Sunday’s Scripture reading from St. Matthew’s account the Master insists, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest” (Mt 9:38). Yes, Jesus wanted the Gospel preached to all nations, as his final words at his Ascension made clear. But even in his zeal to evangelize the whole world, Christ recognized that there were priorities even in the preaching of the Good News. Jesus cautions his disciples so that in their zeal to evangelize every nation they do not forget those persons who are already somewhat along the road to salvation. Jesus insists, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (10:7).”Yes, those who are already called, the lost sheep of every generation, need to have their response to the Gospel message re-invigorated. In Jesus’ mind, the ancient Jews already shared many of the basic truths of revelation; now their appreciation of them had to be brought to fulfillment in Christianity.
There are today many lost sheep within our own Catholic community who desperately need to be re-evangelized. The Church is pleased, of course, when young adults display an interest and even an enthusiasm for the faith of our fathers. Certainly such a Great Awakening in our day deserves applause and affirmation. And thank God for the senior citizens who faithfully support the Church with their prayers, their participation, and their donations. But between the fervors of these two eager groups, there are substantial numbers of barely practicing Catholics who have their children baptized, drop them off at religion class to ensure First Communion and Confirmation, perhaps send them to a Catholic high school, but, sadly, attend Mass only on Christmas and Easter, maybe. Any adult who might be chatting with youngsters and cautiously inquires, “Do you go to Mass on Sunday?” will, more often than not, get the response, “No. I play sports,” or simply, “No. We’re busy on Sunday.” Then why do we have Saturday night Masses?
The out-of-college and the not-yet-ready-to-retire Catholic world does need to have a serious examination of conscience regarding the Third Commandment: “Remember thou keep holy the Lord’s day.” And this is true especially of adult Catholic men and fathers. Surveys report that a father’s church attendance is the primary factor in determining his children’s future religious habits. If a father does not attend church, there is only a 2-3% chance his children will become regular worshippers, even if the mother attends. Conversely, if a father attends regularly, roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of his children will attend as adults, regardless of the mother’s attendance. So let’s take Jesus’ instruction seriously. Let’s look first at the “lost sheep on the house of Israel.” Let’s get our act together even as we welcome good news from other sources.
