Do you have questions about your Catholic faith?

Do you have questions about your Catholic faith? Great! Questions are a good sign. They mean you're thinking, and that's what you're supposed to do. God gave each person the capacity of reason, so we might question all things. And what happens when we question everything? Something amazing! 

Highlights

By Marshall Connolly (Catholic Online)
5/12/2022 (2 years ago)

Published in Living Faith

Keywords: questions, Catholic, faith, school

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - Want to experience a miracle? It's easy! Just begin asking questions about your faith, and pay attention to the answers. Before you know it, something remarkable will happen. Things that didn't make sense before suddenly become clear! 

As a catechist, I encounter questions all the time. Sometimes they are really deep and thought provoking, and I have to ponder them myself. Someone might ask, "Why does evil exist?" (I can answer that one.) But I can't always answer all of them. Sometimes they are simple. For example, "Why do we make the Sign of the Cross?" Those are a joy to answer, because they suggest to me the person asking the question is taking their faith seriously. 

It's okay to have questions. In fact, that's why I became a catechist. When I was young, I had a lot of questions about my faith. But I didn't find answers where I should have found them. I attended catechism classes, made my First Confession, Communion, Confirmation, and attended Mass, but I found it hard to get the answers I needed. And when I asked my priest, I got a rather unfriendly response. My question was too frequently asked and answered it seems, and nobody was paying attention. 

This made me upset. Angry, in fact. Because I realized even as a teenager that I was not being properly formed in my faith. Nor were my peers. Sure enough, by the time I was in college few of my peers attended Mass anymore. Some drifted off into other churches, others just quit believing in God. 

I experienced my own crisis of faith, and went on my own journey. But that's because I had questions and nobody was willing or able to answer them. Eventually, I found my answers right where I left them, in the Catholic Church, but it took a lot of effort and hard work. Yes, the answers were there all along. The Catechism is filled with answers, and likewise the Compendium, the Social Doctrine, and a wealth of other resources. But unless someone teaches you, you have no clue where to start. And it helps if someone makes the answers intelligible and meaningful to you. 

In response to this frustration, I became a catechist. And I found a place where I could teach and learn at the same time: Catholic Online School. 

Catholic Online School provides a free, world-class Catholic education for anyone, anywhere. This is important because formal Catholic education costs a lot of tuition, or if it's offered for free it's usually of poor quality. This is not to say that the many volunteer catechists out there are doing a poor job. It's just that too many aren't themselves properly catechized. Many more are passionate about their Catholic faith, but they just can't answer all the good questions students have. 

The Battle for Catholic Education - Prevent the Collapse Now!

Catholic Online School is designed to solve that problem. 

As a catechist, you are welcome to use any and all of our courses for your instruction. As a student, whether you are a youth working towards your sacraments, or an adult seeking a refresher, Catholic Online School has plenty of answers for you. 

The school is free, and there is no cost to enroll and take courses. Everything is online, so you simply log in and begin learning at your own pace. Lessons are really short and "bite-sized," and easy to understand. Choose any of the thousands of lessons you like. There's no rules, no dress code, no prerequisites, and no homework or term papers. Yes, there are quizzes so you can test your knowledge. We even offer certificates of completion for select courses, if you pass the quizzes. These gorgeous certificates can be printed and framed, if you wish. 

Catholic Online School is the supplement of choice for hundreds of schools and parishes across the United States. We've worked hard to build a fun and easy-to-use platform that is faithful to the magisterial teachings of the Catholic faith. I only wish I had this resources when I was a teenager. I am grateful to have it now, and I believe you'll feel the same way too. 

If you are ready to begin classes, click here to sign up and start your first course right away!