Archbishop Leonard P. Blair

Sometime ago, I made a resolution that I would abstain from eating meat on Fridays. I reflected on the fact that every time I pray an act of contrition, I pledge “to do penance.” Yet it occurred to me how rarely I do any voluntary penance (there are plenty of involuntary ones for all of us). In light of the grave scandals that have afflicted the Church because of the depravity of some bishops and priests, all the more keenly do I feel the need not only to pray, but also to do personal acts of penance.

As I say, however, it was a while ago that I thought of returning to the traditional Catholic practice of abstinence faithfully every Friday. I have to tell you though that my good resolution has been difficult. The reason is simple. Most of the time in my busy schedule, often “out and about,” I don’t even remember when it’s a Friday. By the time I do, I’m already halfway through my ham sandwich. Because I am trying to maintain this discipline on my own, I have few if any reminders to help me to be faithful to it.

I am resolved to persevere, but it is hard to “go it alone.” My frustration leads me to some reflections on what this means for all of us in a wider context.

I believe that the reason for the great decline in the practice of the faith that we are witnessing is not just lack of catechetical instruction, although that’s an important factor. Nor is it necessarily the result of a personal decision on the part of people to reject God, religion or the Church in the midst of today’s great trials. What is evident is the lack of the strong support system of family, neighborhood and local community that once sustained the practice of the faith.

Put very simply, if you are an individual who is part of a faithful, church-going family, you will likely go to Mass, too. If almost everyone in your neighborhood worships every Sunday, you will be much more motivated to do the same. If your community respects the Lord’s Day by refraining from unnecessary work and business, you are not likely to mow your lawn that day. And yes, if your fellow Catholics abstain from meat every Friday, and everyone knows it, then you as an individual will not easily forget that it’s a Friday.

It is not my intention to indulge in an uncritical nostalgia for a past. Our world has changed a lot in the last half century. However, even apart from religion, there is a high human price to be paid emotionally and socially when we are all left to “go it alone.” We can all email or text one another from a distance, but what is going to give us a deep and secure sense of belonging, participating and fulfilling life’s obligations in keeping with our nature as social beings made up of body and soul?

The diminishment or even breakdown of a shared community life is very damaging to people’s practice of the Christian faith. The Church, by definition, is not a collection of autonomous and isolated individuals; rather, it is “the people of God” united in communion as the mystical body of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Pope Benedict once observed that people “often confuse freedom with a lack of constraints, with the conviction that we can do everything alone,” without God or the Church. This, however, is an “illusion” that “soon turns to disappointment, creating disquiet and fear.”

Clearly we cannot do everything alone, nor should we, especially in those things that pertain to our faith. Sometimes there is talk of reinstating abstinence on Fridays, thus making it a communal practice once again. I know from experience that it would certainly help me. If you should see me on a Friday, don’t hesitate to say, “Archbishop, remember what day it is.”