Why does the Church insist on getting involved with politics?

The first amendment to the Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” So, the Church may speak out with regard to policies and the common good. And the Church does! She speaks out against injustice. She speaks out for human dignity. She speaks out for what is good and true and beautiful.

Sometimes this means the Church has a position on important issues, such as abortion, same-sex, so-called, marriage, immigration reform, freedom of religion, physician-assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research, and so forth. She is protected by the Constitution to speak out. This is not getting involved with politics. This is providing a moral compass for society.

What the Church does not do, and is prohibited by the Internal Revenue Code from doing, is participate or intervene in a political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate. This is where the Church draws the line. However, the Church encourages us to be involved in politics!

Read more about participation in social life in the Catechism, paragraphs 1897-1927.

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Who is the Church to tell me what’s right and what’s wrong?

The Catholic Church was established by Jesus Christ as the means to continue his mission in the world. The Church is like a sacrament, “a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of unity among all men.” (CCC, 775) Therefore, the Church is “the instrument for the salvation of all,” “the universal sacrament of salvation.” (CCC, 776)

This means Jesus gives the Church the responsibility to bring the whole world to God through the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Church follows Jesus’ teachings and shares them with the world. So, when the Church teaches about right and wrong, it is Jesus teaching about right and wrong. The Church is the Body of Christ.

The Church has the assurance that she is following Jesus correctly because Jesus said so: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt. 16:18-19) Jesus also gave his power to the apostles on the night that he rose from the dead: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you. … Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” (Jn 20:21-22)

Read more about the Church in God’s plan in the Catechism, paragraphs 751-780.

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Why should I go to church to pray when I can pray anywhere and anytime?

Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians that we should “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thes 5:17) This implies that we should pray wherever we are at and not just in a church. There are many passages in the Gospels about Jesus and prayer. He prayed in the synagogue, went to the Temple in Jerusalem, in the Garden of Gethsemane, on a mountain, by the seashore, and more.

However, the question asks about praying in a church as opposed to praying elsewhere. This should not be an either/or question, but a both/and question. We should pray everywhere AND in church. So why is the church a special place to pray? Because Jesus is there, and not in the same way that Jesus is everywhere!

Jesus is in the tabernacle in the church, really, truly, and substantially, in the Eucharist. That is why some churches offer perpetual adoration, so that people may come and adore Jesus in the Eucharist. There is even a feast dedicated to the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, Corpus Christi, which is celebrated on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday. Also, we come to church to pray with one another as a community. We share our faith with one another. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Mt. 18:20) Further, we are called to “Keep holy the Lord’s Day,” the third commandment, and we do this especially by coming together on Sundays to celebrate the Mass.

Read more about the adoration of the Eucharist in the Catechism, paragraphs 1373-1381.

Know your faith. Live your faith. Teach your faith.

What does the Church teach about homosexuality?

In today’s society, sexual identity, whether it be homosexuality or heterosexuality, is presented as a matter of personal identity, as the core of who a person is. But we are more than a disposition or a sexual attraction. The Church teaches that who we are, our fundamental identity, is based on our relationship with God; we are children of God.

As children of God we are all called to holiness. Concerning our sexuality, that means we are called to chastity, respect for the gift of sexuality that God gave us. Our sexuality is oriented towards the procreation of new life and to the unitive element of love between the husband and wife. This is called complementarity. The gift of one’s sexuality is given to one’s opposite-gendered spouse and vice versa.

The Church does not condemn or judge those who have homosexual tendencies. She realizes that this may be a trial and prays that they respond to the call to chastity. However, unjust discrimination towards those with homosexual tendencies is immoral and unjust. Acts of sexual expression outside the union of marriage between husband and wife are against natural law. This includes homosexual acts as well as heterosexual acts.

The Church treats all with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Read more about the Church’s teaching on chastity and homosexuality in the Catechism, paragraphs 2357-2359.

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Aren’t all religions basically the same?

This question reflects the relativism of our times. It also reflects the reality that Christianity is not one as Jesus desired. So, there are four issues that may be involved here: 1. Does it matter whether I am Catholic or not and if not, what’s the big deal? 2. How can Catholicism be true if every other Christian religion claims to be true as well? 3. Why does religion matter anyway? 4. Why is there religion in the first place? But let’s just focus on the question itself.

Different religions believe have different beliefs. Some believe that Jesus is God, some don’t. Some believe in a God, some don’t. Some believe that there are multiple gods, some don’t. So just with those three statements, there is a first answer to the question: No, all religions are not basically the same. Some religions’ beliefs absolutely contradict other religions’ beliefs.

Put simply, there are different religions because people have different experiences of God. Jews have an experience of God based on Moses; Christians on Jesus; Muslims on Mohammed; Mormons on Joseph Smith, Buddhists on Buddha, and so on.

However, all religions are based on the human desire to know God. The Catechism tells us: “The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself.” (para. 27) The Church acknowledges all goodness and truth that is present in any religion as “a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life.” (para. 843) But the fullness of God’s Revelation and the fullness of truth and goodness comes to us through Jesus and his Church. Read more about our natural desire for God in the Catechism, para. 27-30; and how the Church relates to non-Christian religions in paragraphs 839-845.

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If I follow my conscience, why should I follow the Church?

This question goes to the independence that many adolescents desire. But am I my own measure of good and evil? If that were so, then anything I wanted to do would be good because I decided that it was good.

We don’t decide what is good and evil, we discover it. We all have the desire to do good. That is where conscience comes in. God gave us this law “to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil” (par. 1776) inscribed on our hearts. The Catechism defines conscience as “a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed” (par. 1778).

So it is absolutely necessary to follow our consciences. But a conscience also needs to be formed properly with sound principles and guidelines: “Don’t do evil to achieve good;” “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and so forth. Where do these principles and guidelines come from? We can use reason, but Revelation also confirms what reason and truth tell us. That is where the Church comes in. The Church is the community formed by Christ to guide us to God. Therefore we need to listen to the Church in her wisdom. She guides us in making moral decisions that conform to what God wants of us. Read more about conscience in the Catechism, par. 1776-1802.

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Why should I belong to the Church? It wasn’t my choice.

There are two major points to this question. One, belonging to the Church is like belonging to any organization. Two, I have the right to choose what I want. 

So let’s address each point: The Church does have the elements of an organization. But it is more than that. It is the People of God, the Body of Christ, the Temple of the Holy Spirit. It is Mystery. The Church is a divine, as well as human, institution. God gives us the gift of Heaven and the Church is the best way to get there. We are welcomed into the Church through Baptism, usually in infancy.

That leads to the second point: Our parents decided for us what was best for us as children because they love us. And what is the greatest gift they can give to us? God’s love. They share with us their faith in God by having us baptized in the Church, the best place to learn about, love, and serve God. However, each of us has free will to accept or reject God and his Church.

Know your faith. Live your faith. Teach your faith.