In 1990, St. Pope John Paul II wrote that “there is a new awareness that missionary activity is a matter for all Christians, for all dioceses and parishes, Church institutions and associations.” As we sit 33 years later, do we still have that same awareness in the Catholic Church? The documents of Vatican II remind us that “the church on earth is by its very nature missionary” and Pope John Paul II wrote that he was “convinced of the urgency of missionary activity”.

This urgency of missionary activity, if it includes attempting to convert others to the Catholic faith, does not seem to belong in 2023. Proselytizing has become a dirty word in these days. Pope Francis recently at an audience in the Vatican said that “to be a missionary, to be apostolic, to evangelize, is not the same thing as proselytizing”. The Holy Father continued “Put people in contact with Jesus without convincing them. Let the Lord convince them.”

Of course we believe that the Lord will convince them, but isn’t the Catholic Church established by Christ as the ‘universal sacrament of salvation’? That phrase is repeated in several documents of the Vatican II Council. “In the present state of things which gives rise to a new situation for humanity, the church, the salt of the earth and light of the world, is even more urgently called upon to save and renew every creature, so that all things might be restored in Christ, and so that in him men and women might form one family and one people of God.” Save and renew every creature sounds similar to proselytization.

In Acts Chapter 2 at Pentecost, Peter makes a bold declaration of the truth of Jesus Christ and a demand that people gathered come to believe in Jesus as their Savior and Lord. The crowd says to Peter and the apostles “What are we to do my brothers?” And Peter tells them “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” Did Peter just try to convince the people?

This new belief that we should not ‘convince people’ to come to Christ is not bearing fruit. When the Church met at a convocation in Orlando, Florida in July 2017, “The Joy of the Gospel in America” was centered on creating ‘missionary disciples’ in every diocese and parish in the United States. At the convocation, we were told that for every person who joins the faith, six leave. We were all stunned to hear that statistic but there was little or no follow through. We have not become missionary disciples. We have no strategies for bringing our brothers and sisters to the faith. None. After Covid, the churches are even emptier than in 2017.

All across the United States, Catholic parishes are being combined and closed. Vocations are down to a trickle and young people have decided that the Church is not important in their lives. Few are being married in the church and even infant baptisms are way down. In Chicago, 23 parishes are becoming 9; in Detroit 42 parishes will close; and in Boston 80 parishes have closed. At a time when people are so far from Jesus Christ and so much in need of him, the Church’s response is “to let Jesus convince them.”

John Paul wrote in his encyclical, Mission of the Redeemer, “Peoples everywhere, open the doors to Christ!…The number of those who do not know Christ and do not belong to the Church is constantly on the increase…When we consider the immense portion of humanity which is loved by the Father and for whom He sent His Son, the urgency of the Church’s mission is obvious.” It should be much more obvious today but we are afraid to proselytize. Bishops feel constrained by budgets and legal considerations. Pastors feel hamstrung by diocesan priorities and time limitations. Deacons and lay faithful do not feel empowered to take this on. And so we go.

Jesus’ mandate to the Church is very clear ” Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” The Great Commission is simple and clear. Bring people back to the church – now! They need it, the Church needs it, and the world needs it. One by one – person by person – ask them, invite them, warn them, convince them! Now is the time to ‘open the doors to Christ!’