"Don't you read the papers?"
I went to the Rite of Election of Catechumens and Call to Continuing Conversion of Candidates in Dover this morning. Despite the long and confusing title, it's merely the ritual in which those entering into full Communion with the Catholic Church are presented to and accepted by the Bishop.
In his closing remarks at the end of the service, Bishop Saltarelli thanked and welcomed those coming into the Church and then asked "But what's wrong with you? Don't you read the papers?" He went on to discuss how those entering into Church at a time when She has so many wounds and issues, and largely self-inflicted ones at that, are showing great faith, not in a person or a human institution, but in Jesus Christ by seeking to become part of His Church.
For me, that sums up part of why I believe in the Catholic Church so strongly. Forget all the enemies the Church has over the years and look at all the damage we've done to ourselves, and yet we're still here. We're still the largest Christian Church in the world; we're still teaching the same doctrine as we were when we were first founded. All of this has been accomplished despite so many self-inflicted wounds: becoming too involved in secular matters, some horrible Popes, covering up of crimes against children, just to name a few obvious failings. And yet we're still here, approaching 2000 years of existence. As I've said to friends before, if that doesn't prove God's watching over us, what can?
It was also encouraging today to see the number of young people entering Church. I'm not just talking young adults. (The candidate I'm sponsoring is just 22, less than a year out of college.) There were teenagers (and even younger) signing their name in the Book of the Elect, meaning they were unbaptized and seeking to enter the Church.
Bright days are ahead for the Church. I've long felt that. We're going through a rough patch right now and things can only get better. Seeing those entering the Church and how happy they were to be doing so just reaffirmed that feeling all the more.