Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

 Lectionary: 188

But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, 
Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD: the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb them.

A remnant is a leftover piece of fabric after the seamstress has finished making something else. It is too large and valuable to be discarded but its purpose is not immediately clear. It will wait to discover its usefulness at another time. 

I first heard this biblical prophecy of a surviving remnant of the faithful in the 1960's, as the number and quality of Catholic seminarians began to plunge. I was one of 56 high school freshman at Mount Saint Francis in September 1962. Within two weeks one had returned home. Throughout the four years, students would silently disappear without ceremony or farewell. One or two applicants joined us in September of each succeeding year, but many more did not return. Twenty seniors graduated in May, 1966; sixteen entered the novitiate; ten made simple vows in 1967; and five were ordained. Three years later, one left the priesthood and the Church. Of all my classmate seminarians, some are active in the church; and some abandoned all religion. Only a remnant was left. 

In a 1973 movie, I Heard the Owl Call My Name, a young missionary priest, preaching his first sermon in a remote Canadian village, says that he has seen that the village is dying. The children want to leave, young adults have left, and only the old people remain. He says he hopes to help them make the transition. As the congregation leaves, each one thanks the minister for his kind intentions and one elderly chief remains. He says, "I don't know why you say the village is dying. I feel fine." 

Sixty years after entering the seminary, I say the same thing about the Church. "I feel fine." 

If today's Church is only a remnant, those who remain have made a very real, deliberate choice. Many have little support from their family, neighbors, or friends. There are many other things they could do with their time; they can think of nothing more important. 

Many Catholics feel disappointed to be alone, but each has a story of God's mercy which sets them apart from those around them. Most have suffered repeated losses, failure, disillusionment, and trauma but found healing and reconciliation through the practice of faith. Their lives make sense to them; they have found a place in this world and they know where they belong. 

Even if society's present indifference becomes hostility to religion; and the first amendment freedom of religion, repealed; the Spirit of God will nonetheless preserve a faithful remnant of the Church to Praise and Give God Thanks.