Expert: Tom Schott - 7/11/2010

Question
I have been struggling lately with my faith.  It is a long story, but in short.  I was never really "raised in church" but I did make all my sacraments as a child.  We attended church sporadically and I am not well versed in the Catholic teachings.  I attended a few churches of other denominations with friends growing up.  I had a negative impression of Catholics and Catholic churches.  Some from things I heard my father say and some from personal experience.  (A side note, my father has since become Catholic.)  At 17 with much convincing from my mother, I started attending a Catholic church that I loved.  I felt alive with faith and really enjoyed going there for several years. When I left home I drifted away from church.  And then things changed in our church.  For lack of a better word there was "corruption."  I have lost my faith in the Catholic church.  I have been trying to feel good about my faith again and to feel that passion for my faith.  Now I just feel spiritually dead inside.  I have gone to a few other Catholic churches but don't feel the same as I used to.  My husband is Lutheran, but we were married Catholic and when we attend church it is a Catholic church.  He has never tried to change my religion.  I have been considering attending another church, particularly a Lutheran church.  I have attended a Lutheran church while visiting my in-laws and felt comfortable and enjoyed the service.  The only thing is that I can't get rid of this nagging guilt that I am turning my back on my Catholic faith.  My experience with Catholicism is that we believe that we are the one and only true faith.  Not that all Catholics believe that, but many many Catholics that I know do and say it openly.  Am I wrong for wanting to explore another religion, or is my guilt unjustified?  Should I feel free to explore other denominations to bring my spiritual side back to life?

Answer
Hello, Amanda. Just couple of observations for you. First of all, our faith is not in the Catholic Church. Our faith is in God as He has been revealed to us in the person of Jesus the Christ. A church is a gathering of people to celebrate that faith. This sense of alienation and "deadness" that you describe is not uncommon among people who faithfully attend church all the time. Look at what we discovered about Mother Theresa. She spent years in the kind of spiritual desert you describe. The second observation has to do with the practice of your faith. The Second Vatican Council taught us that the salvation won for us by the blood of Jesus covers the entire world. The concept of "one true church" is not viable if it means that other churches are lesser as paths to salvation. With that in mind, you must make your own decision about where to practice your faith. As for the Catholics who proclaim to be the "one true Church," you must take their lack of knowledge about what their own church teaches with a grain of salt. I think by all means you should search to find a spiritual home where you are comfortable, without guilt. I trust that the Lord will guide your steps.