Frequently Asked Questions

I’m doing my best, and look forward to continuing to update and improve this website as I find time!

This is an important question. The simple answer, is because the Catholic Church contains the fullness of all the truth that God willed to reveal to us. 

But how do we know that? Let’s go forward in 3 steps, establishing that 1) God exists, 2) Jesus Christ is God, and 3) Jesus Christ founded and guides the Catholic Church. If these 3 are true, then it would logically make sense that God desires everybody to become Catholic.

There are many arguments that prove that God exists. For example, some of these may be helpful to you:
https://strangenotions.com/god-exists/

Where did the universe come from? And the big bang? Ultimately, something had to start things in existence, and to do that, it had to exist itself. That first ‘thing’ that existed on its own, we call God.

If you’d like, take a look at these ideas:

  1. Contingency: There had to be something from which all things come, which always was. That is God.
  2. Objective Morality: How can anyone say there exists an objective right and wrong, if there is no objective moral authority? For Christians, that is God. Without such an authority, all we are left with is subjective right and wrong, meaning that humans intentionally hurting other innocent people is not objectively wrong – but only subjectively. Not many people are willing to accept this. It would mean that terrible crimes committed by people like Hitler, or even terrible actions carried out in the name of God, are not objectively wrong. Few would really believe that to be the case.
  3. Human Personality: Without God, many quickly see humans merely as a material reality, composed of chemicals. Such a view can tend to a determinism saying we are merely a chain of chemical reactions without intrinsic and inalienable value. Without God, on what footing would the objective inalienable value of every human person rest on? For Christians, this flows from us being made in God’s image and likeness, and God is love (1 John 4:7) – so we are all made to love and be loved.
  4. The intelligibility and order in the universe point to someone who orderly created it. For example: the cosmos, matter, physical constants, and even the many cells that make up our body and work invisibly, but are essential for daily living – these all point to an order in the universe. How do we account for such incredible order, when the law of entropy says things tend towards disorder, rather than order?
  5. Fine Tuning: Everything in the cosmos is so perfectly arranged that if any of the universe’s constants changed even slightly, things could not exist as they do, and not even life could possibly exist. This level of fine-tuning implies a Fine-Tuner, namely, God.

These thoughts merely scratch the surface of why we would think God exists.

Here’s a very short list of helpful resources:

You will likely be helped by the ‘Resources’ page on this website as well.

It is clear from both Biblical and extra-biblical evidence that Jesus Christ claimed to be God. Yet why would we believe that?

  1. As C.S. Lewis says, He is either God, or He’s not. More specifically, He’s either A) Liar, B) Lunatic, or C) Lord.
  2. The reasonable-ness of Jesus’ teachings, the unmatched beauty of His moral teachings, and the way His teachings resonate with every human heart are only consistent with option C above.
  3. Still more, He is the only human who fulfilled hundreds of prophecies made about Him (many made centuries in advance), even at least dozens that were outside of his control. That makes Him remarkably unique in all of human history.
  4. He worked many miracles, and still more, continues to do so today.
  5. He is no mere mythical or legendary character – almost no secular scholar disbelieves Jesus’ existence, which we have more proof for than other ancient figures people speak of with far greater reliability.
  6. He started an institution (the Catholic Church), and it has continued and become the longest lasting institution in human history.
  7. His teachings all cohere with one another, and resonate with the deepest desires of the human heart. Christianity – believing Jesus is God and desiring to follow Him – has been the most popular religion for a long time.

This is an important question. Consider the following:

  1. Jesus Christ founded one Church, on the Rock of St. Peter (See Matthew 15), and historically it is clear that this Church was the Catholic Church. It was the only Church until the Great Schism in 1054.
  2. Jesus Christ promised to be with the Church, and to protect it. He said, ‘the gates of hell will not prevail against it’, and that He would be with it always. If He is God, and He keeps His promises, then He is still with it, guiding it.
  3. This doesn’t mean all members or even leaders of the Church have always followed Jesus properly. That said, thankfully the leaders who were seriously bad ones in the Catholic Church’s history never changed any of it’s teachings. That’s one more piece of evidence to show Jesus protects His Church.
  4. Try checking out this short video by Fr. Michael Schmitz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJCbCs-y1_k&ab_channel=AscensionPresents
  5. You can check out more resources here: https://strangenotions.com/books/

If you have further questions, you are welcome to contact me through this website, and I can address them.

Yes. However, the Bible needs to be read in the proper context.

Some passages may seem hard to understand or hard to reconcile with certain things in the Catholic Church. These are called, ‘apparent contradictions.’ They are only apparent, and not real.

For example, some recall Jesus’ words to ‘call no man on earth your father.’ Some use this as an argument to say priests should not be called fathers. That said, later in the Bible Jesus calls Abraham ‘Father Abraham’, and St. Paul (who wrote half of the New Testament) himself calls others and even himself ‘father.’ This phrase of Jesus was a Jewish hyperbole, and not meant to be taken literally.

If you want to read the Bible, this great podcast will help you:

https://ascensionpress.com/pages/biy-registration

Check out the ‘Resources’ page on this website for a list of resources that can help you grow in your understanding and living out of Catholicism.

Confession to priests existed in the Old Testament, and is clearly commanded in the New Testament.

You can check out these links to learn much more:

To learn what it’s like for the priest who hears confessions, you should watch this video:

Think of confession as an encounter with Jesus, because that’s what it is. The priest represents Jesus who is really present in the priest and working through him.

God wants to forgive you, heal you, and help you to live a life free of the sins that weigh you down.

To know how to receive the Sacrament, you will want to check out the link below – especially if it’s been a while since your last confession.

https://media.ascensionpress.com/2020/07/17/confession-201-how-to-confess-like-an-adult/

You will want to make an examination of conscience. Please see the next question for more information.

An examination of conscience helps a Catholic prepare for confession by helping them examine their conscience for things to mention to the priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Here’s an examination of conscience from the Knights of Columbus, which is a prominent Catholic men’s group:
http://www.kofc.org/en/resources/cis/devotionals/2075.pdf

Some people may also find a guided examination of conscience helpful too, like this one. It can help prepare you for confession as well:

 
There are many other Catholic examinations of conscience on the internet, which you can easily find by an internet search for something like, “Catholic Examination of Conscience.” Some are good for different age groups or situations, such as children, married people, priests, or young adults.