{"id":153179,"date":"2020-03-13T09:30:13","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T13:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/ask-a-priest-what-if-im-18-and-questioning-my-faith\/"},"modified":"2024-10-22T15:07:18","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T19:07:18","slug":"ask-a-priest-what-if-im-18-and-questioning-my-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/ask-a-priest-what-if-im-18-and-questioning-my-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"“Ask a Priest: What If I’m 18 and Questioning My Faith?”"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Q: I am turning to you in desperation. I am 18 years old. I was raised Catholic, and for the first time I am beginning to question the truth value of my faith. I have begun to apply a narrow-minded frame to Catholicism that compares it to “logic” and “science.” I feel very scared and disconcerted by these thoughts, and I am too ashamed to talk about this to any of my friends, priests or family members. How do I renew my faith in God, without seeking proof of his existence, which is inherently disrespectful? Is this merely an existentialist phase that comes with being a college student? Thank you for your time and God bless. \u2013 B.<\/address>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC<\/em><\/p>\n

A:\u00a0It is not uncommon for young Catholics to question their faith. This can actually be a healthy sign. It shows that you are maturing intellectually and are no longer satisfied with the simple formulas you might have learned as a child.<\/p>\n

This is a time of your life when you can learn the beauty and depth of the Catholic faith and embrace it as your own.<\/p>\n

God created both faith and reason, and he wants us to use both in order to know and love him more. Until now, perhaps, you have been going on simple faith. Now your reason is kicking in — and it has lots of questions. That’s OK … because Catholicism has lots of answers.<\/p>\n

A few practical steps might help.<\/p>\n

First, try to make time for prayer each day. Speak with Jesus. He is at the heart of our faith. Catholicism isn’t just about doctrines and rules. It’s about a personal relationship with Jesus who suffered and died for each one of us. He is also your best friend. You can learn more about him by reading a bit of the Gospels each day. It’s important that you keep your eye on Our Lord.<\/p>\n

Second, try to learn more about your faith by reading solid material. A few suggestions: the Youth Catechism, or YouCat<\/a>;<\/strong> the Catechism<\/a><\/strong> of the Catholic Church; its Compendium<\/a>; The <\/em>Case<\/em><\/a><\/strong> for Catholicism;<\/strong> <\/em>and Fundamentals of the Faith: <\/em>Essays<\/em><\/strong><\/a> in Christian Apologetics<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Websites with lots of resources include Catholic Answers<\/strong><\/a>, EWTN<\/a>,<\/strong> Peter Kreeft’s site<\/a>,<\/strong> and The Catholic Thing<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One caveat: Be careful not to expose yourself to the wrong things. Internet is filled with dicey things.<\/p>\n

Also, try to network with other Catholics who are serious about their faith. Perhaps there is a Newman Center at your campus. Or keep an eye out for events that might attract serious Catholics, such as talks or retreats.<\/p>\n

It would be good to stay close to the sacraments, too. Monthly confession with a solid priest, and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament can do wonders.<\/p>\n

Cultivate a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary through the rosary. She will intercede for you. And count on my prayers.<\/p>\n

Keep learning more with Ask a Priest<\/a><\/h3>\n

Got a question? Need an answer?<\/h3>\n

Today\u2019s secular world throws curve balls at us all the time. AskACatholicPriest is a Q&A feature that anyone can use. Just type in your question or send an email to AskAPriest@rcspiritual.wpenginepowered.com<\/a> and you will get a personal response back from one of our priests at RCSpirituality. You can ask about anything \u2013 liturgy, prayer, moral questions, current events\u2026 Our goal is simply to provide a trustworthy forum for dependable Catholic guidance and information. So go ahead and ask your question\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Edward McIlmail, LC","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/485147bd811c2a8642adf1f1806f85f0adef2b00ef8ccabc9b46f8420af19e16?s=96&d=blank&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/485147bd811c2a8642adf1f1806f85f0adef2b00ef8ccabc9b46f8420af19e16?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/485147bd811c2a8642adf1f1806f85f0adef2b00ef8ccabc9b46f8420af19e16?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC"},"description":"Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC, ordained to the priesthood in 2001, taught theology and Scripture at the then Mater Ecclesiae College in Rhode Island and is now a part-time chaplain at Overbrook Academy in Greenville, R.I. He holds degrees from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut, the Regina Apostolorum Athenaeum in Rome, and Northwestern University in Illinois. He was an assistant publisher of the National Catholic Register and Faith & Family magazine and an editor of the Zenit news agency\u2019s English edition. He has written for\u00a0SpiritualDirection.com\u00a0and\u00a0ePriest. Fr. McIlmail also worked in spiritual retreats in the Northeast, New England, the Midwest, and the South\u00a0and assisted with mission work in Mexico. Born in Philadelphia, he worked in journalism and was active in the pro-life movement before entering the novitiate of the Legion of Christ in 1992. His contributions to RCSpirituality include responding to\u00a0Ask A Priest\u00a0questions and sharing his insights in our\u00a0Weekly Newsletter.","url":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/author\/emcilmail\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/362"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153179"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnumchristi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=153179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}