As the Archdiocese has been going through its renewal process one recurring question has centered around numbers: how many parishioners are on the books, how many are in the pews. While those can be a legitimate concerns the gospel suggests that other factors should have priority. “Whoever is not against us is for us.” Jesus was not interested to much in pumping up the number of disciples he had as he was with how people were living. Being kind, generous, forgiving, compassionate were the characteristics he sought as a sign of who is “for us.” While we worry that many of our family and friends are not church-goers, when we see their goodness we can be confident that God’s grace is at work in them.
