Will my beliefs bar me from becoming Catholic?

[LostSheepUK]

Hi everyone,

I’ve posted a few times and recently have been attending Mass regularly as well as beginning a Journey in Faith course ran by our local church. Everyone has been very welcoming and I have even had an audience with the Bishop who was asking me about my decision to attend Mass considering I had not been overly religious in the past. He even blessed my rosary, which I found to be a very kind gesture.

The one thing I have not yet brought up with my Priest or my JiF class is my opinion on certain beliefs that the Catholic Church has. I have no objection to gay marriage; Jesus preaches about love and it makes no difference to me whatsoever what gender two people who love each other are - what matters is their feelings towards each other. To deny them the right to marriage whilst offering them equal rights in other areas of life is hypocritical, in my opinion.

The second thing is that I agree that, in certain cases, abortion is a justifiable act. I do not believe it should be made as a lifestyle choice but if a girl or woman has been sexually assaulted and then becomes pregnant, I fully and utterly refuse to condemn her for not wanting to continue with the pregnancy. I would concede that perhaps some form of counselling prior to that drastic decision being made should be (and probably is) given, however I would never condemn a traumatised abuse victim for making such a choice.

I know I need to talk this through with my parish priest but would these beliefs bar me from taking my place in the Catholic Church & receiving communion?

Thanks
Stuart

 

[Reuben_J]

Hi everyone,

I’ve posted a few times and recently have been attending Mass regularly as well as beginning a Journey in Faith course ran by our local church. Everyone has been very welcoming and I have even had an audience with the Bishop who was asking me about my decision to attend Mass considering I had not been overly religious in the past. He even blessed my rosary, which I found to be a very kind gesture.

The one thing I have not yet brought up with my Priest or my JiF class is my opinion on certain beliefs that the Catholic Church has. I have no objection to gay marriage; Jesus preaches about love and it makes no difference to me whatsoever what gender two people who love each other are - what matters is their feelings towards each other. To deny them the right to marriage whilst offering them equal rights in other areas of life is hypocritical, in my opinion.

The second thing is that I agree that, in certain cases, abortion is a justifiable act. I do not believe it should be made as a lifestyle choice but if a girl or woman has been sexually assaulted and then becomes pregnant, I fully and utterly refuse to condemn her for not wanting to continue with the pregnancy. I would concede that perhaps some form of counselling prior to that drastic decision being made should be (and probably is) given, however I would never condemn a traumatised abuse victim for making such a choice.

I know I need to talk this through with my parish priest but would these beliefs bar me from taking my place in the Catholic Church & receiving communion?

Thanks
Stuart

Hi Stuart. Unfortunately (for you) the Church is very clear in her objection to gay marriage and abortion. If you are thinking of becoming Catholic, you have to accept the Church’s position on these two issues. It would be difficult for you later on if you don’t as you may be confronted by the reality of these and should that happen what will you do?

On the other hand even though you do not agree, you can submit yourself to the Church in humble submission. Try to learn her teaching on them respectively. There are many materials available on these. Approach them with an open mind and ask yourself: what is that you really disagree with? With all the teachings laid before you, probably it is easy to discern for yourself.

By the way, without becoming a Catholic, you are not allowed to receive the Holy Communion as this is for Catholics only.

God bless.

 

[YoungTradCath]

Hi everyone,

I’ve posted a few times and recently have been attending Mass regularly as well as beginning a Journey in Faith course ran by our local church. Everyone has been very welcoming and I have even had an audience with the Bishop who was asking me about my decision to attend Mass considering I had not been overly religious in the past. He even blessed my rosary, which I found to be a very kind gesture.

The one thing I have not yet brought up with my Priest or my JiF class is my opinion on certain beliefs that the Catholic Church has. I have no objection to gay marriage; Jesus preaches about love and it makes no difference to me whatsoever what gender two people who love each other are - what matters is their feelings towards each other. To deny them the right to marriage whilst offering them equal rights in other areas of life is hypocritical, in my opinion.

The second thing is that I agree that, in certain cases, abortion is a justifiable act. I do not believe it should be made as a lifestyle choice but if a girl or woman has been sexually assaulted and then becomes pregnant, I fully and utterly refuse to condemn her for not wanting to continue with the pregnancy. I would concede that perhaps some form of counselling prior to that drastic decision being made should be (and probably is) given, however I would never condemn a traumatised abuse victim for making such a choice.

I know I need to talk this through with my parish priest but would these beliefs bar me from taking my place in the Catholic Church & receiving communion?

Thanks
Stuart

Stuart,

Gay marriage is wrong because marriage is not intrinsically about feelings. It is about procreation and taking care of children. There are two purposes of marriage: the good of the couple involved and the potential for children. If one of these things is absent, two persons cannot marry. Every marriage is ordered toward the creation of human life. Marriage is not about feelings. I can love someone without being entitled to the right to marry said person. For example, I can love my brother (which I do not have…) but I cannot marry him. Furthermore, so-called gay marriage opens floodgates for everything else. If I can marry a man, who is to tell me I can’t marry an eight year old? They have reasoning skills, they are capable of making decisions. Who is to tell me that I can’t marry my sister? Who is to tell me I can’t marry whoever I please? Marriage is not about feelings.

Abortion is unacceptable because it destroys human life. This is scientifically unquestionable–as I suspect you’re aware–and so abortion is completely unacceptable. Rape is a horrific act, but the slaughter of the child is far worse. Killing the human formed doesn’t “make the rape go away.” It doesn’t solve the emotional trauma, the physical trauma, the mental issues that could result. Abortion solves precisely nothing. It creates more problems. Abortion is unjustifiable. This has nothing to do whatsoever with condemnation of anyone.

 

[Carolus_Martell]

Will my beliefs bar me from becoming Catholic

While those beliefs may lead to sin I do see them as a bar to becoming a Catholic. The Church is full of repentant sinners. Carefully look over the Apostles creed if you can accept that 100% then you’re good to go.

 

[clem456]

Hi everyone,

I’ve posted a few times and recently have been attending Mass regularly as well as beginning a Journey in Faith course ran by our local church. Everyone has been very welcoming and I have even had an audience with the Bishop who was asking me about my decision to attend Mass considering I had not been overly religious in the past. He even blessed my rosary, which I found to be a very kind gesture.

The one thing I have not yet brought up with my Priest or my JiF class is my opinion on certain beliefs that the Catholic Church has. I have no objection to gay marriage; Jesus preaches about love and it makes no difference to me whatsoever what gender two people who love each other are - what matters is their feelings towards each other. To deny them the right to marriage whilst offering them equal rights in other areas of life is hypocritical, in my opinion.

The second thing is that I agree that, in certain cases, abortion is a justifiable act. I do not believe it should be made as a lifestyle choice but if a girl or woman has been sexually assaulted and then becomes pregnant, I fully and utterly refuse to condemn her for not wanting to continue with the pregnancy. I would concede that perhaps some form of counselling prior to that drastic decision being made should be (and probably is) given, however I would never condemn a traumatised abuse victim for making such a choice.

I know I need to talk this through with my parish priest but would these beliefs bar me from taking my place in the Catholic Church & receiving communion?

Thanks
Stuart

I don’t think one could say you are barred from entering the Church. But,
The heart of joining the Church on Holy Saturday will be this:

I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God.

Let me ask you a question…
If you do not believe what the Church proposes as true, why do you want to join?
I’m not trying to discourage you, just asking what your thought process is here.
You can join churches who agree with you. Why the Catholic Church?

You may find that more conversion is necessary. As a Catholic we give our assent to these truths, even when we cannot fully understand them. Fuller understanding comes with conversion. If you are called to the Church keep plugging away, it takes time, but realize these truths are not optional in God’s eyes.

The issues of gay marriage and abortion are rules, but they reflect core theological positions on the sanctity of life and marriage. They are not just arbitrary rules.

 

[Linusthe2nd]

Hi everyone,

I’ve posted a few times and recently have been attending Mass regularly as well as beginning a Journey in Faith course ran by our local church. Everyone has been very welcoming and I have even had an audience with the Bishop who was asking me about my decision to attend Mass considering I had not been overly religious in the past. He even blessed my rosary, which I found to be a very kind gesture.

The one thing I have not yet brought up with my Priest or my JiF class is my opinion on certain beliefs that the Catholic Church has. I have no objection to gay marriage; Jesus preaches about love and it makes no difference to me whatsoever what gender two people who love each other are - what matters is their feelings towards each other. To deny them the right to marriage whilst offering them equal rights in other areas of life is hypocritical, in my opinion.

The second thing is that I agree that, in certain cases, abortion is a justifiable act. I do not believe it should be made as a lifestyle choice but if a girl or woman has been sexually assaulted and then becomes pregnant, I fully and utterly refuse to condemn her for not wanting to continue with the pregnancy. I would concede that perhaps some form of counselling prior to that drastic decision being made should be (and probably is) given, however I would never condemn a traumatised abuse victim for making such a choice.

I know I need to talk this through with my parish priest but would these beliefs bar me from taking my place in the Catholic Church & receiving communion?

Thanks
Stuart

I think, sense you have already talked to the bishop, you should ask his opinion. Personally, I think your opinion on these matters and perhaps others would be an impediment to becoming a Catholic. It is one thing to be outside the Church and hold such opinions and quite another to be inside and hold them.

Though you may not realize it,your opinions on these matters cannot be defended on moral grounds and are contrary to the Natural Moral Law ( the Ten Commandments ). Most generally such opinions are the result of missplaced " sympathy " for those who claim their civil rights or personal freedoms are being violated. But such opinions are contrary to the truth of the situation. No one has the right to take the life of an innocent human being for any reason. And homosexual " unions " or " marriages " are a direct contradiction to the natural purposes and ends of sexual differentiation of the sexes and the purposes and ends of marriage.

Further, all Catholics, before baptism, are required to take an oath to obey God’s Laws and the Churche’s Laws. Further, these are fully expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and all Catholics are bound in conscience to believe and live by the teachings in the Catechism. And it would seem you are not able to at this time.

Perhaps one solution would be to examine why the Church teaches what she does on the matters in question.

It is interesting that Blessed John Henry Neumann had similar problems, but on matters of faith rather than morality. It took him twenty or thirty years until he could resolve his conscience about the issues that troubled him. So the lesson here is that you must, in my opinion, resolve your issues first so that you can truely say that you believe ALL that the Church BELIEVES and TEACHES. Now this does not mean that you will never fail in execution, we all fail from time to time. But there is a big difference between failing in a moment of weekness or passion and in BELIEVING and NOT BELIEVING in the first place. The former is the case of a poor sinner, the latter is the case of a heretic.

 

[RKO]

A question to those who have responded:

1. May a Catholic disagree but accept the teachings and still be a catholic?

I am not asking this to start a debate, it is an honest question.

 

[JRKH]

Hi everyone,

I’ve posted a few times and recently have been attending Mass regularly as well as beginning a Journey in Faith course ran by our local church. Everyone has been very welcoming and I have even had an audience with the Bishop who was asking me about my decision to attend Mass considering I had not been overly religious in the past. He even blessed my rosary, which I found to be a very kind gesture.

Welcome to the journey. It’s quite a trip…as you are finding out.
None of us here are truly qualified to give a definitive answer to your title question so please consider the answers you receive here…but then definitely talk to your priest.

The one thing I have not yet brought up with my Priest or my JiF class is my opinion on certain beliefs that the Catholic Church has. I have no objection to gay marriage; Jesus preaches about love and it makes no difference to me whatsoever what gender two people who love each other are - what matters is their feelings towards each other. To deny them the right to marriage whilst offering them equal rights in other areas of life is hypocritical, in my opinion.

1. I assume you are not Gay and have no intention of being in a homosexual relationship - so your concern here is in how we treat others…in a civil, cultural, societal manner.
2. Related to the above…the matter of what should or should not be law in the larger civil society can be open to some interpretation…Though from a Catholic position and acting as good citizens compels us to oppose changes in law that permit gay marriage as we see the act as sinful
3. There is need for you to grow in your understanding of “Love” and how that applies to sexual relations.

Now - whether your specific views in this are would bar you from entry into the Church at present??? Talk to your priest…and keep studying.

The second thing is that I agree that, in certain cases, abortion is a justifiable act. I do not believe it should be made as a lifestyle choice but if a girl or woman has been sexually assaulted and then becomes pregnant, I fully and utterly refuse to condemn her for not wanting to continue with the pregnancy. I would concede that perhaps some form of counseling prior to that drastic decision being made should be (and probably is) given, however I would never condemn a traumatized abuse victim for making such a choice.

I would ask you to consider this.
I am assuming that you believe that which is conceived is a child…an human being.
I am also assuming that you believe that the taking of innocent life is morally wrong under any circumstances.
If I am correct in the above…I would ask you to justify the killing of an innocent child regardless of the means by which the child was conceived.
Certainly the mother - the victim of assault - needs compassion and support, but how can the killing of the child be justified in your mind.
Give me ANY circumstance where the child in the womb is guilty of a capital crime worthy of execution, and I will support abortion in such a case…but as you and I both know…there can be no such case…Even if the rapist is caught and convicted, the punishment is not death.
So if death is not considered a justifiable punishment for the perpetrator of the rape, why is it considered a justifiable act for one of the victims of the rape?

Not as for condemning those who make the decision to abort. We do not condemn. Only God condemns. We teach that abortion is wrong in all cases. Individuals either accept that teaching or they do not. But whether others accept that teaching or not…The Church cannot teach other than she does and be true to her belief that every life has dignity.

I know I need to talk this through with my parish priest but would these beliefs bar me from taking my place in the Catholic Church & receiving communion?

You are absolutely right. You need to discuss these matters with your priest. He will be able to give you much better guidance than we can.

Peace
James

 

[JRKH]

A question to those who have responded:

1. May a Catholic disagree but accept the teachings and still be a catholic?

I am not asking this to start a debate, it is an honest question.

I do not understand what you mean by “disagree but accept”…either one excepts or one disagrees…

Now that said…one can certainly accept a teaching without fully understanding the teaching - I think most of us have some of those. So - if that is what you are meaning then yes one certainly does not need to fully understand every teaching of the Church. Humble acceptance is fine.

Peace
James

 

[PaulinVA]

Isn’t this a universally-asked question in preparation for adults entering the Church? I can’t believe that everyone getting baptized and/or enter the the Church on Easter agrees with everything the Church teaches.

There should be a stock answer to this question.

Stuart, thanks for your honesty. Ask whomever is running your program.

 

[LaSainte]

A couple of things you said struck me. First you said you think it’s hypocritical to “offer” gays equal rights in certain areas and not in others. A right, by its very nature, is not something that is “offered” or given to anyone. It is something they possess intrinsically. Just like the right to bear arms to defend oneself and the right to religious freedom are not things that are “offered” or given to us by the government(much as the current government would like them to be), neither is the right to marry. These are intrinsic things, God-given. Now the question becomes, do people of the same sex have the intrinsic right to marry? You’re right, Jesus did preach about love, but lets see what he said about marriage: “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female,6 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?7 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6). This is Jesus specifically teaching about what marriage is. It is between a man and a wife, male and female. So no, according to the Bible and Jesus Himself, two men and two women do not have a God-given right to marry. God said so specifically.

I disagree with the previous poster that marriage is not about feelings. Of course it is-feelings are a very important part of marriage-but feelings alone cannot MAKE a marriage. Just like when two children pretend to be married. They FEEL like they want to be married and be together forever and ever! But those feelings do not somehow magically create the sacrament of marriage between them, because children cannot, no matter how much they wish, be married, because as Jesus said, marriage is between a MAN and his WIFE (presumably also a woman past the age of puberty). The same thing goes for two men or two women. It’s just not possible no matter how much they (or we) wish it to be so.

On abortion: if someone is threatening to rape or even kill me and I am running away through a crowded mall and there is a child up ahead in my way-is it ok for me to take out a gun and shoot that child dead if that is the only way to get him out of my way so that I can escape? Why not? Because I can’t just go around killing innocent people to save my own skin, or to prevent me from going through something that may be traumatic. In the case of rape, the rape has ALREADY happened. The horse has left the barn. You can’t just kill a person because it might save you from experiencing some sort of perceived trauma in the future. And scientifically, and spiritually, an unborn baby at ANY stage is “somebody”. Maybe a smaller somebody, maybe somebody who is dependent on you for food and safety, but still somebody. They just did a study that twins of 14 weeks gestation in the womb seek each other out and caress each other deliberately because they crave the interaction. They are people, just little ones. Killing them for any reason is never ok. If my husband is going to divorce me because he doesn’t like the fact that we have 2 kids, I can’t just kill my kids to avoid the trauma of him divorcing me. If i have some kind of cancer and killing my kids and harvesting their organs will save me, I can’t just kill my kids. Murder is unacceptable under any circumstances, even if you think it will help you a kind of physical or emotional pain.

The Church never just arbitrarily makes these rules. These issues have been exhaustively studied and researched by the most brilliant minds in history. I wish you ALL the best in your possible conversion and how cool that you got an audience with the bishop! What a blessing!

 

[LaSainte]

I do not understand what you mean by “disagree but accept”…either one excepts or one disagrees…

Now that said…one can certainly accept a teaching without fully understanding the teaching - I think most of us have some of those. So - if that is what you are meaning then yes one certainly does not need to fully understand every teaching of the Church. Humble acceptance is fine.

Peace
James

I have had teachings in the past that I have “disagreed with” but accepted. Contraception for one. I wanted to use it in my marriage, didn’t agree with the teaching, in obedience to the Church I didn’t use it. Now through obedience, I am actually coming around to the Church’s point of view. Maybe it is God giving me the grace of faith now that I have humbled myself

Now if I can just stop getting pregnant

 

[Reuben_J]

I have had teachings in the past that I have “disagreed with” but accepted. Contraception for one. I wanted to use it in my marriage, didn’t agree with the teaching, in obedience to the Church I didn’t use it. Now through obedience, I am actually coming around to the Church’s point of view. Maybe it is God giving me the grace of faith now that I have humbled myself

Now if I can just stop getting pregnant

Praise God.

God bless you.

 

[dee_burk]

when i began considering conversion to Catholicism, i saw no problem with gay marriage and felt abortion was ok in “certain” cases after counseling. Once i found out the CC’s teachings i changed my belief to conform to Christ’s teachings. after all i want God to tell me what i should or should not believe, not the other way around…

i think if you convert to Catholicism but do not fully accept all the teachings of her Church, you are lying to God, the Church, and yourself.

so, ask yourself, will you be comfortable and at peace with yourself if you partake of the Holy Eucharist (the Body and Blood of Christ) with a lie? you definitely need to discuss with your parish priest.

 

[LaSainte]

Praise God.

God bless you.

Thank you! I NEVER thought I could come around. Slowly but surely . God is good!

 

[Reuben_J]

A question to those who have responded:

1. May a Catholic disagree but accept the teachings and still be a catholic?

I am not asking this to start a debate, it is an honest question.

Whatever is our personal opinion of the Church’s teaching we have to accept it in humble obedience. And how blessed we are when we do. A wondefurl testimony from the poster above to testify to this. God will bless us for our obedience and one thing that always amazes me is that we can never outdo God’s generosity when we are faithful to him.

So to the question - yes, we can be Catholics though it is quite uncommon but happening, that we disagree in a personal way but yet accept the teaching and live it out in our lives.

I just notice, your question is a bit odd though - can we disagree? It seems to involve intentional disagreement. I am not too sure about that and its implication. I do not think we are given that option to disagree with a teaching. We are required to agree and to accept Church’s teaching no matter how disagreeable we are to it. Don’t know whether that makes sense or not.

 

[Zekariya]

The one thing I have not yet brought up with my Priest or my JiF class is my opinion on certain beliefs that the Catholic Church has. I have no objection to gay marriage; Jesus preaches about love and it makes no difference to me whatsoever what gender two people who love each other are - what matters is their feelings towards each other. To deny them the right to marriage whilst offering them equal rights in other areas of life is hypocritical, in my opinion.

Just some things to think about concerning “love”.

If everything needs to be “equal” concerning love and marriage:
What if parent and child love each other and want marriage?
What if brother and sister love each other and want marriage?
What if and adult and child love each other and want marriage?
What if a man and beast love each other and want marriage?

 

[clem456]

One thing the Cathoic Church emphasizes more than other churches is the concept of truth. Many churches have a theology that can be summed up as “whatever” in regard to some issues. Being Catholic carries an acceptance of objective truth; some things are true, others are not. Modern culture does not accept the concept of objective truth, seeing it as inflexible or uncharitable.

As a Catholic, I try to give my assent to everything that the Church teaches, even those things I have a hard time understanding. I accept them for one core reason: the Church teaches them to be true. I have to accept something as true, and this truth is revealed from someone, right? I could accept only my own judgement, or I could accept teaching of those who have broken away from the one true Church, but if I do that, I stray way off the path. One cannot truly be a Christian without obedience (not the same as servitude). Other denominations may say otherwise, but they deceive themselves, essentially they deny the cross, the sign of loving obedience. Obedience is listening and giving loving assent to what is proposed by Jesus Christ through His Church. Obedience is not a popular concept in American culture, which values independent self-determination.

Christianity entails a uniting of one’s own will with God’s, which means giving up your desires and understandings in favor of what God reveals, through the Church. Only the Catholic Church has the full understanding of this. Do you see a value in the concept of objective truth? Or do you want to determine your own truth? (I still do it all the time, it’s a journey).

 

[R_C]

I have no objection to gay marriage; Jesus preaches about love and it makes no difference to me whatsoever what gender two people who love each other are - what matters is their feelings towards each other. To deny them the right to marriage whilst offering them equal rights in other areas of life is hypocritical, in my opinion.

The Lord clearly defined what marriage is: “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh”. The Church, compared to the secular world, has always protected the dignity of every human being, especially recommending avoidance of any sort of discrimination to anyone who has homosexual tendencies, to be treated just like anyone else, that is, with brotherly love. All society does is tell people: you are different, act different. The Church, instead, tells them: you are not different, for we are all children of God. This sad little world of darkness, at this time, has incredibly distorted what love, marriage, and sex are. But perhaps you should meet some Catholics who have homosexual tendencies and yet, with great Christlike behavior, embrace the virtue of chastity and live a devout and sacramental life. They have come to know that the Church neither discriminates nor condemns nor rejects them, and they have come to love Christ as the smallest of all children would do: with simplicity and trust above all else.

The second thing is that I agree that, in certain cases, abortion is a justifiable act. I do not believe it should be made as a lifestyle choice but if a girl or woman has been sexually assaulted and then becomes pregnant, I fully and utterly refuse to condemn her for not wanting to continue with the pregnancy.

Every year in the US, less than 1% of abortions are performed after sexual assault. The rest - over 1 million - don’t apply. And perhaps you may want to meet or at least watch some videos about some of the people born as a consequence of sexual assault. Their parents courageously understood that there was no point in adding an evil act of murder to an evil act of sexual assault, so with great strength they brought their unborn child to the world. These people are wonderful people, and have also been by the mom’s side and become her source of joy and consolation - in short, her child. Surely it’s easy in third person, from far away, to “utterly refuse to condemn” those acts (and mind you, nobody is allowed to condemn people, only acts). But that just shows that you need to leave the abstract coldness aside and step into a more concrete reality. Those “certain cases” are truly the minority, like I said, and they do not, in any way, justify an additional evil, procuring the death of an innocent who deserves to live and grow up and be a great person and be at her mom’s side.

Overall I see you have a very common issue to Catholics: you don’t have a profound understanding of the meaning of life as the Church has kept it for over 20 centuries. Societies, empires, kingdoms, and states have come and gone, and each has tried in their own way to redefine what life is, and who has the right to live and die, and who has the right to die, or put to death. The Church has never bowed to these man-made nonsense, holding strong to God’s commandments and to the words of mercy of Jesus Christ, who willed every man worthy of the dignity of child of the living God to even put down his life for his brother…how much more a mother for her child.

The infection of ideas like same-sex matrimony (as if it could be called matrimony), abortion, contraception, and euthanasia are the basic works of the father of lies, the basic fruits of his false gospel. The idea behind them is always, supposedly, to free man. However, the result is always, inhexorably, to bring society to chaos and eventually to her own self-destruction, by undermining in a critical way the most basic of all structures that God has ever willed: the family.

May the Spirit, who kindles in your heart the fire of love for God and guides you towards the Church, strengthen you and grant you the humility to put down for a second your own assumptions and thoughts and seek the truth as God has spoken it, not for the evil or injustice, but for the greater good of mankind, and of each of us, his children, individually.

 

[zab]

It is not unusual for faithful Catholics to not fully understand a Church teaching. But we must accept those teachings because the Catholic Church teaches only that which is true. That statement itself can be an issue for some to understand. As a faithful Catholic, I trust the Church over my own imperfect judgement. The thing to do if we find ourselves in those situations is to research- find out why the Church teaches as she does. If we remain open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we will be guided and have a deeper understanding of those truths. If we do not remain open to learning why the Church teaches as she does, we risk losing what little Faith we have. It is important that we get our answers from the right sources, like The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and from Faithful Catholic educators and instructors and priests. One good source for understanding and learning about the Catholic Faith is Fr. Robert Barron’s internet site Word On Fire