This week, about one-in-five Americans (67 million) will gather across the country to share in a great cultural event. Its marvelous mixture of camaraderie, action, music, and messages is an experience for all ages. Even if they might miss out this Sunday, about 51% of Americans (170 million) say they will check it out sometime this month. I’m not speaking of the Super Bowl, but of Christian church attendance.
I have wondered how much mid-twentieth century Catholicism, with its record high vocations and Mass attendance rates, were an aberration from the norm in our country. The percentage of Catholics who tell pollsters they’ve attended Mass in the past week has declined from its highs in the 1950’s. Yet the percentage of church-attending Americans is more than four times greater today than it was in 1776. Regardless, more Catholic Americans ought to be faithfully coming to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass without fail; for the praise and glory of God’s name, for their own good, and the good of all his Church.
Here are “12 Reasons Why I Quit Attending Sporting Events,” adapted from a post seen on the internet:
1. The coach never came to visit me.
2. Every time I went they asked me for money.
3. The people sitting in my row didn’t seem very friendly.
4. The seats were very hard.
5. The referees made a decision I didn’t agree with.
6. I was sitting with hypocrites—they only came to see what others were wearing!
7. Some games went into overtime and I was late getting home.
8. They played some songs I had never heard before.
9. The games are scheduled on my only day to sleep in and run errands.
10. My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up.
11. I read a book on sports, so I feel that I know more than the coaches anyway.
12. I don’t want to take my children because I want them to choose for themselves what sport they like best.
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