My teen years were in the late 80s & early 90s. I used to wear Vans and had long bangs (both have made a comeback). I lived those years in a constant search of being relevant and cool with my peers. In some ways I achieved my goal. I had friends and we all pretty much liked the same things - movies on VHS tapes, video arcades, Star Wars, Trapper Keepers, & MTV (when they had music). We thought we were cool.

But, the story doesn't end there. We all change eventually, sometimes for the better. I grew up and left behind my childhood notions of what was relevant and cool. I now understand that cool is a cultural phenomenon that really doesn’t define who I am, what I care about, or how I live my life. Too bad it took me so long to figure that out.

The modern Catholic Church in the United States is somewhat like a teenager who wants to be cool and accepted to those around her. For so long, we have been caught up in what it means to be relevant in our modern world, that we have forgotten our very purpose. We started to behave and believe like those around us, rather than having them do the same with us. Sure, it was really easy to be a cultural Catholic. You go to church, you learn a few things, live an average comfortable life, don't make waves. You may even send your kids to Catholic school. The goal is to be "involved" some, but not a saint. No. Never a saint.

Still, the fact is, the Catholic Church isn’t relevant or cool and that is a good thing - both for the Church in the USA and for the culture that surrounds us. Why? Because we aren’t meant to be relevant or cool. We are meant to be counter-cultural. Think of the early Christians and how they were received by the culture that they lived in. If you can’t, here are a few quotes to set the scene:

"But the proconsul urged him and said, 'Swear, and I will release thee; curse the Christ.' And Polycarp said, 'Eighty and six years have I served him, and he hath done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my king who saved me?'"
-The Martyrdom of Polycarp

“We are not to throw away those things which can benefit our neighbor. Goods are called good because they can be used for good: they are instruments for good, in the hands of those who use them properly.”
-Clement of Alexandria

“The Christian does not hurt even his enemy.”
-Tertullian

Following Jesus is NEVER supposed to be cool to a non-Christian culture! It is supposed to be radically different. The problem is that not enough modern Catholics in the USA live radical enough lives, which means we have allowed the culture to affect us more than we affect it. In large part, the Church has been absorbed by the secular culture of the USA.

When I was growing up, there was a wide belief that the USA was a “Christian” nation. This was a lie. We had a lot of “cultural Christians” and “cultural Catholics”, but far too few Christians who lived a radical life. We identified Christianity with other labels, that took on political, social, or partisan labels, which left us without a false identity. We need to return to living the entire message of Jesus, which includes hard things that challenge our politics, biases, bad habits, and culture.

Today, in large part, the Catholic Church is either despised where it isn’t dismissed. This is because “cultural Catholicism” is another name for hypocrisy. We say we are Jesus-followers, but then we do things that say the opposite, such as:

• fly our political flags proudly, whild downplaying our religion
• say we love our neighbors, but don’t know our literal neighbors enough to talk about faith.
• say we believe in salvation and grace, but never care enough to evangelize others.
• talk about community, but fail to reach out to form strong friendships of meaning.
• make sex a big issue, but fail to live out the commands of Jesus about sexuality.

The honest truth is - we need the Church to be less relevant and cool! We need to be shaken out of our stagnation and comfort. We need to return to our evangelical roots and radical witness of lives that look different from others.

The early Church knew this! They would find abandoned babies and adopt them into their homes, pay for funerals of pagans too poor to afford them, feed the starving, keep each other accountable to leaving judgmentalism behind, and forgive those that wronged them. Yes, the modern Church still does these things, but certainly not enough of us do.

Could you imagine if the Church rose up and started to really live out our Lord’s call to serve the poor, forgive others, not judge, love as He loved us, welcome the stranger, etc? What kind of witness would it be to a hurting world, if we did even ONE of the following:

• widely entered into the foster care system and made sure every kid had a stable home.
• started recovery programs around the country so we faced down the opioid crisis
• built maternity homes and beefed-up support systems in every town, so that no pregnant woman felt she had to get an abortion.
• created job creation centers, where the disabled, homeless, recovering addicts, and felons could get adequate training and help to find jobs, homes, and new lives.

These are the kind of real-world issues that the Church could find counter-cultural solutions to. Why? Because God loves humanity so much that he wants us to not settle for comfort or cultural relevance. He wants us to be transformative agents in the world, so we then earn the right to proclaim the Gospel to someone who wants to know the reason for our hope! He wants us to get people to enjoy heaven with us.

Following Jesus isn't about you or me. It is about those around us!

When we live lives that reflect love, character, honesty, purity, prayer, hospitality, mercy, courage, etc. then we can’t help but look like strangers and freaks, to a modern culture which longs for truth, beauty, and goodness - but doesn't know where to find it. This is a good thing. But, we will also be attractive to the individuals searching for something more. This is what we need to aim for - being interesting, curious, and attractive to those who want more out of life.

Of course, we can’t hold others to a standard we aren’t willing to live out ourselves!

So, reimagine the Church in the USA, if we lived out this one command of Jesus:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” -John 13: 34-35

What would happen if we started by loving one another first? Why do I ask this question last? Because I love the Church (you) enough to believe that God wants something greater for the Church (you) than what we (you) are right now.

That is why we should rejoice at not being relevant. It is an opportunity to live out the Gospel, as we ought to.