The faith lost by the average man in the west was an imperfect faith.

As we have seen and what Pope Benedict XVI commented on there has been a waning of faith among many peoples where in recent past the Gospel was once proclaimed.  It is may be a slight overstatement but it is worth hearing, Charles Davis, who has written on the de-Christian-ization of the Modern world, says;

"The faith lost by the average man in the west was an imperfect faith. What might be called a cultural faith. The Christian tradition superficially understood was simply accepted as part of the culture in which one lived, taken for granted with the social environment. This situation did not do justice to the transcendent quality of Christian faith, which cannot be reduced to an element of human culture. Nor was it true to the meaning of faith as a free genuine personal response to God. Indeed, the so-called de-Christian-ization of some areas is simply an awakened Christian awareness of the absence of faith."

Everyday we must strive to be obedient to our calling and live out the Gospel life giving praise and glory to God.