Come Back to Me

BY DAVID O'BRIEN

Remember that song called "Hosea" we always sing during Lent, especially on Ash Wednesday? It starts like this:

"Come back to me with all your heart. Don’t let fear keep us apart."

I usually think about myself when I sing that song. How have I drifted away from the Lord? What do I need to do to come back to Christ?

But this past Ash Wednesday that next line hit me. "Trees do bend though straight and tall. So must we to others call."

Others? Who are these "others"? Is God singing "come back to me" to someone else?

My sister comes to mind. She stopped practicing her Catholic faith decades ago. Good person? Sure, one of the best people I know. But she steers clear of the Catholic Church for all kinds of reasons, not least of which that she married a non-Catholic.

My cousins, all born and raised Catholic, might come to Mass for Easter, Christmas, a wedding or a funeral. They never receive communion anymore, forget about confession.

"Trees do bend though straight and tall. So must we to others call."

What is the Lord asking me to do? How can I bend towards "others" in my life? They already know how important my faith is to me. I worry that if I push, they will resist even more.

But what about all the stories I hear from people involved with the Catholics Returning Home program. Each recounts how they left the faith for personal reasons. But somewhere along the way, they see a sign or receive a personal invitation to check out this group for Catholics interested in reconnecting to their faith.

I remember what Frank said: "I was walking in front of St. Dominic Church and noticed a sign inviting me to a class which taught how to reclaim my Catholic faith. I attended the first couple meetings and looked for ways to discredit the group. However, the more I came...the more I began to reconnect with what my parochial training had instilled in me. What really helped was the class learned how to pray the rosary as well as go to confess our sins to a priest. I had forgotten how to do both."

Or Christine: "My mom always nagged me about coming back to Church and I should’ve listened. But then a co-worker of mine who knew I was Catholic invited me to go to a group at her parish. Deep inside I missed Mass and feeling close to God in that way. So I went with her. Now I can’t believe I stayed away for all those years. I hate to say it but my mom was right."

All around the Archdiocese-Mobile, Montgomery, Dothan and Enterprise-Catholics Returning Home programs are giving those of us who are active in our faith a chance to invite "others" back to Christ in the Eucharist.

Frank told me he is reaching out to others now too. He said: "I asked a woman the other day...to attend this group because I noticed she did everything but take communion. Although she hasn’t been to a meeting yet, I suggested we could go together so that I might share with her the joy of what I rediscovered."

That song is in my mind again and I imagine what God must say when all these people come back to Him.

"Long have I waited for your coming home to me and living deeply our new life."

About David O’Brien
David O’Brien is the Associate Director of Religious Education for Lay Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. His column, Everyday Faith, appears regularly in the archdiocesan newspaper, the Catholic Week. Email David at dobrien@mobilearchdiocese.org.