Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

I received an unsolicited piece of advice when I was newly ordained: “Jerome, remember: don’t preach to the choir.” At first blush, it appeared to be sound advice. The people coming to the Church are the “saved,” and preaching to them just reinforces what they already know. They are thought to be strong Catholics who understand the teachings of the Church and fully practice their faith. But sometimes, that is not the case. It is shocking to me the number of Catholics who don’t understand the teachings of the Church on the “real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.”
 
I have come to realize in the intervening years of my priesthood that the choir may not be singing from the same sheet of music. Perhaps we haven’t paid enough attention to those singing in the choir or sitting in the congregation. Attendance at Sunday Mass has decreased, the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) remains an almost forgotten source of grace, and the impact of Catholic teachings on federal, state and local leaders is nearly non-existent. The Catholic religion is the largest, single denomination in the nation, but its affect is rarely experienced, and political leaders pay little or no attention to Church leadership. I am not advocating that the Church become a political force, but that its voice be heard and respected.
 
There have been efforts at presenting the Catholic Church and its teachings to energize present-day Catholics. We live in a secular society, and if we take seriously the call of Pope Francis to be missionaries, then I believe that we need not travel any further than our local parishes. There are so many opportunities to integrate our Catholic beliefs into our daily lives. As missionaries, we are called to take the faith into our families, businesses and communities.
 
Perhaps for decades as a religion, we have suffered from a sense of “presumption.” We’ve presumed people knew the teachings of their faith, the importance of Sunday worship and the nature of the Church. We have allowed people to make the faith whatever they desired, and have presumed they were thinking with the mind and sense of the Church. Presumption in its worst form can be a sin – when we sin freely and just presume that God will forgive us. Sometimes we think it’s okay to sin because God will just forgive us. And of course, people don’t have to worry about “sin” if they believe that sin doesn’t exist. So, there is no need for confession and, of course, why would we need a savior and redeemer? We can just presume that we are all going to heaven – that is, if you believe in heaven.
 
I encourage “preaching to the choir” so that their voices in our society might be clear and beautiful. Our communities need to hear the religious songs they sing. Of course, one song that we should all sing is LOVE ONE ANOTHER.       

Note: This blog originally appeared as the July 5, 2016 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.