Thomas Groome presented material from his new book Will There Be Faith. He reflected deeply on the Lord's question about whether or not he would find faith in the people when he returned. His book poses questions about how the secularization of society has all but dissolved the church in Europe. It is no longer that the faith is being driven out of its birthplace in Italy, Greece, France and Germany. People are utterly indifferent to faith. In Ireland and the United States, where the faith still exists, it is under assault by the secular culture and discredited by scandal. He asked us to think about what gives us hope and what we personally can do to ensure there is faith in the future. Some of the things that the audience claimed gave them hope were the Eucharist, their own children, Jesus, the gathering in Anaheim and the joy they find in their own faith. The ways people hope to ensure faith will continue is by teaching the Sacraments, sharing the joy of their faith with others, being people of peace and sharing their love of Jesus and the faith.
