Catholics are truly catholic. The word means universal. Our fellow members of the Church come in every race and ethnic group on the planet. They range from liberal to conservative, from devout to non-practicing, from totally honest to complete malefactors.

One of the great gifts that our Church can give is anonymity. The word, of course, means “without a name.” In this context I refer to millions of men and women-devout, but very personal. They do not wear their religion on their sleeve. A miraculous medal may hang around their necks, but it is not usually visible. There is a rosary in their pockets, but when they say their beads, the rosary is almost invisible in their hands whether on foot or in the car or on public transportation.

These are the ones who slip into a church for daily Mass or to say a prayer or to light a candle. They drop a dollar or two in a poor box, or slip something to a beggar on the street. If you should happen to be in a big city like New York, you will see them on line outside of a confessional.

When they are at work they often place a small holy picture or a statue of a saint in their office workspace.

Many of these people are almost invisible. They are not “joiners” so they are not in many church societies. Nor do they exercise ministries unless they are asked.

Often they do not sing at the liturgy. They listen and join in spirit. They are not great greeters at the kiss of peace; a small gesture or a quick handshake will do. They are not found in processions or public demonstrations of devotion. But their offering is in the basket on Sunday. And they are the ones who truly hear the message of the homily. They carry it home in their hearts.
They are the “quiet” Christians. The gift that they appreciate the most is anonymity. They prefer the hidden life, the more gentle inner form of devotion.

We must be careful that we do not push or pressure these folks into what we decide is “community.” The Mystical Body of Christ has many parts. Each person has his or her own DNA, his or her own fingerprints, his or her own voice. No person can be duplicated. Each soul is special. Each person has had special life experiences. The greatest gift we can give a person is respect. That means respect for a person’s lifestyle.

So, it is important that our Church continue to respect that form of quiet piety that we find in hidden souls. Underneath, in the interior world of spirituality, these souls may do far more to bring God’s blessing into the world than those of us who make a great show of our Christianity.

I salute you, you invisible friends of God. Pray for us who make a lot of pious noise. You probably hear God a lot more clearly than we do. You are the foundation stones of Christ’s Church.

Rev. Msgr. Gilchrist is pastor of Holy Cross Parish, Harrison.

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