It’s no secret that today we’re witnessing a massive decline in church attendance and, seemingly, a parallel loss of interest in religion. The former mindset within which we worried, sometimes obsessively, about sin, church-going, and heaven and hell no longer holds sway for millions of people. As one parent, worried about the religious state of his children, shared with me recently: “Our old religious concerns never ever darken their minds.” What’s to be said in the face of this?
Admittedly, I may not be the person best-suited to offer that advice. I’m over 70 years old, a spiritual writer whose main focus of research and teaching right now is on the spirituality of ageing; and I’m a Catholic priest, a religious insider, who can be perceived as simply a salesman for religion and the churches. But despite that, here are some counsels on faith and religion for today’s generation.
