Faith FAQ

We get a lot of amazing questions during Life Teen, Chosen, More Than Words and EDGE events! Below are some questions (and answers) for you to check out! At the bottom, there's even a place to submit your own questions on faith, morals and Catholicism!
 

If God exists, why is there so much evil in the world?

Evil in the world is the result of our free choice to disobey God and act in ways that are harmful and destructive. Our free will was given to us because God wants us to freely accept His love and share in His goodness. But when we use our free will to choose things that are against what is right and good, evil results. God does not desire or will evil. God desires only what is good. But God does allow evil to exist because, mysteriously, He is able to bring about good from it. Jesus Christ, who used death itself as a means to bring us new life, reveals this in a beautiful way. Sin and evil do exist, but God is bigger than them, and He can bring about good even through the mess that our disobedience has made.

Why did God make us male and female?

God made us male and female to be a reflection of God’s own self. A man and a woman come together as one, this loving union is capable of leading to new life. This inion mirrors the Trinity. It’s an image and a sign of God, who is a union of love between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that leads to life. God gives Himself to us in love and invites us to offer ourselves to Him in faith. He created us male and female so that we would give ourselves to one another and receive each other as a gift. The difference between the sexes is no random accident, they are established by God to be a reflection of His own identity and of the relationship that we are called to have with Him.

What is the purpose of life?

The purpose of life is to get to heaven. We were made to share in the very life of God, in the love, truth, and goodness of the Trinity. Nothing in this world can give us true fulfillment; it is only through knowing and loving God that we will ever truly be happy. 

Why do we need grace?

Grace is the gift of divine life and the help that God gives us to know and experience that life. It is like electricity, which provides the power needed for things to work. All of us are called to know and love God and to experience the very life and communion of the Trinity. But we cannot accomplish this on our own; we are dependent upon God’s help. Through grace, God provides the help and power that we need. Without it, we are like a coffee maker trying to make coffee without being plugged in. No matter how hard we try, we can’t do it unless we are  connected to the power source.

Is there such a thing as absolute truth?

The irony of those who would say that there is no such thing as absolute truth is that, in saying this, they are using an absolute, universal claim to deny that there are any absolute, universal truths. They are saying that, it is true, at all times and in all circumstances. However, at the same time, they are saying that there is nothing that could be true at all times and in all circumstances. Quite a contradiction don’t you think?

But let’s imagine that there is in fact, no such thing as absolute truth. Now, if there is no standard by which our beliefs and actions are to be judged, then we could never really say that something is true and the other false. But with this sort of relativism, if we were to really be consistent, we would have to be willing to accept that all beliefs are acceptable and valid if they were genuinely held to be true by others. These would be true even if those things that we personally think are wrong.

For example, if there were no absolute moral standards in life, we would have to be willing to say things like, well, I personally would never be a slave owner, but I can’t really say that it is wrong for you to do so. If there were no absolute standards of morality, we might be able to argue over what is better or worse, but we could never really say, definitely, that things like slavery are wrong. This leads to an unacceptable relativism, which makes us the sole judges of what is right and good. This mentality is embodied in the often repeated phrase: That might be true for you, but it’s not true for me. This might be the case for some things ( such as who we think the best football team is or the best guitarist is), but it can’t be the case for everything, especially when it comes to morality. Some things just are, by their very nature, right and other things wrong; some things are true at all times and in all circumstances. The view that truth is whatever we want it to be is incompatible with the Catholic faith, which teaches that God is Truth and that our lives must be lived in conformity to the Truth. 

What makes something morally right?

God’s law is the ultimate standard of determining what is right and wrong. The way we decide if particular actions are right or wrong is by looking at the things being done, our reason for doing it, and the where and the why of the act. Only those acts whose object, intention, and circumstances are collectively understood to be good can be considered good or right actions. If any of these three things is bad, the act as a whole is bad or immoral.

Where did the Catholic Church come from?

The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ with the twelve apostles as the foundation. It was to them that Jesus entrusted His saving message. Just as He was sent by the Father to save us from sin and teach us how to live, the apostles were sent by Jesus to continue His saving message throughout history. It is through these twelve (the foundation of the Church) that the world has come to hear the good news of the Gospel. You and I would not know who Jesus was if it weren’t for the Church that made sure His message was preserved and shared over the past 2,000 years. Do we need the Church? Yes! Why? Because Jesus set it up that way. 

What is meant by the rule of faith?

The  Rule of Faith refers to a standard that is used to judge whether or not a particular idea or teaching is consistent with the truth that Jesus revealed. It is a sort of measuring stick that is used to determine what is and what is not true Christian teaching. It is the message and preaching of the apostles and bishops that followed that the Church uses to judge the true understanding if all that Jesus said and did.

What is meant by the "fullness of truth" being found in the Catholic faith?

Jesus came to reveal to us the truths about who God is and how we are to live in relationship to Him. This truth was entrusted to the apostles and through their successors (the pope and bishops of the Church today), the Catholic Church continues to make known to the world the fullness of divine Revelation. And so, although truth (even Christian truth) can be found outside the Catholic Church, it is only through the Church that the  fullness of divine Revelation can be known with certainty.