Dear Parishioners,

One thing I love about Catholicism is how open to inquiry it is. Over the nearly 2 millennia the Church has existed, we have faced many challenges to the faith. In ancient times the Church had to challenge the pagan world and appeal to ancient philosophy to show how the faith does not contradict reasons. Then in the medieval era, she had to come to grips with the rediscovered writings of Aristotle. Then as we entered into more modern times, the Church had to wrestle with the modern sciences and the fundamentalism that rejects science. In all of these challenges, the faith has grown deeper and more robust. The Church does not fear an honest question because all truth leads us to Christ and the truth cannot contradict the faith.

Sometimes people can question their faith because someone offers a clever argument against it. It is not immediately obvious what is wrong when someone claims that there’s no historical evidence for the Church’s claims or that belief in God contradicts quantum physics. Or, on a religious level, some non-Catholic Christians might claim that the Church was actually founded by Constantine or that the Bible does not support the seven sacraments or some other practice of the Church. But just because a challenge can be given easily does not mean that it is correct. Sometimes the questions posed about the faith take a lot of study to find the answer. More often than not, the answer is always more complex than we realize.

We should be glad that the Church does not silence and persecute her critics. Instead, she engages with them, enters into dialog and criticizes back. The faith ought to be freely proposed and freely accepted, not forced. And the times the Church did not live up to this is the exception, not the ideal. (Even though certain exceptions are brought up ad nauseum.)

The Church has thought about these issues and the many challenges against the faith. You can find articles about such topics on the Catholic Answers website or from other good Apologists out there. So, if someone asks you a question about the faith you cannot answer, do not lose hope. A challenge is a chance to grow in knowledge of the faith and to believe in God even more.

God Bless!

Fr. Carter