One of the main concerns, of an adult person who has been adopted as an infant and not knowing who their birth parents were, is their family history.  This is important especially as it pertains to any hereditary medical and physical traits that could have future consequences for the adopted person.  Knowing their foundational roots helps to give them a little more clarity as to who they are and what they might need to be aware of health wise as an adult. To not have this knowledge could lead to a lack of confidence or security, even to the point of questioning their relationship in the family that adopted them.

So it is with our faith, ignorance of our roots might cause us to be easily swayed by the many different voices that are out there proclaiming to have the truth.  Jesus speaks of this in the Gospel according to Matthew chapter 13 in the parable of the sower (13: 1-9).  He explains the parable in verses 18-23 per the apostle’s request.  “The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time.  When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away.” (MT 13:20).  And then again in v. 23; “But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or  thirty fold.”

As I have articulated at other times, my entire education was in the Catholic school system, including my post-graduate work for my master’s degree in theology.  One might be led to believe that I had a very strong, well grounded Catholic faith.  That, however, was not the case.  In my late 20’s to early 30’s I found myself wandering away from my Catholic faith.  I even started to look at other possibilities besides the Catholic religion.  That door was opened because I started listening to other voices saying that the Catholic faith had gone rogue, losing their way.  Then came all the scandals and cover ups by those who were leading us in our faith.  It all began to seem so hypocritical to me. I fe;t the need to find another path to follow.

I began my journey  by searching and exploring other possible faiths to join.  The more I searched, the more confused I got.  The details of this search are not important at this point, but suffice it to say, that I realized I was not going to find what I was looking for, by running away from what I perceived was a misguided Catholic religion. I soon discovered that it was not the Catholic religion that was misguided, it was me. I realized I wasn’t walking positively toward something but was walking negatively away from something.  The turning point was realizing that with all my Catholic education, I didn’t own it.  Going to Church on Sunday and certain other Holy Days of obligation was just a routine that our family did.  We never talked about it, nor did we ever have any meaningful discussions about our faith.  We were Catholic and it is just what we did.

I realized that in order to own my faith, I needed to start at the beginning.  I picked up the Bible and for the first time in my life, at the age of 36, I read it from Genesis to Revelation.  I considered it a great achievement until someone asked me what I learned about my faith in the process.  I did not have a good answer, as I read the Bible only so that I could say that I did. That wasn’t good enough.  I started studying the Bible in formal classes, as well as reading the works of scholars and theologians.  The more I studied and read, the more I realized just how little I knew about what it meant to be a Catholic, much less a practicing Catholic. Again, sparing the details, I discovered how important it was, in having a strong faith, to be grounded in the teachings of Jesus Christ.  The Word that was with God from the beginning became flesh and dwelt among us. That he handed the Word onto the Apostles and built His Church, in which He became the cornerstone (Mt 21:42; Mk 12:10; Lu 20:17; Ac 4:11; Eph 2:20; 1 Pt 2:6-7).  The apostles then were to hand on this faith by proclaiming the Word to the whole world.

Peter, whom Jesus made the “rock” of His Church (Mt 16:18), laid hands on his successor Linus, as did all the other apostles, so that the Church that Jesus is built would neve end.  Knowing that our faith is rooted in the Apostolic Church helped me to grow deeply into my Catholic faith.

Having this foundation helped me to understand that my issues with the Catholic Church in my younger days had nothing to do with the doctrinal teachings of the Church. My issues were with the misinformed and misguided personal agendas of the humanity of the Church.  Studying the history of our faith from the first century to the present gave me the insight, knowledge and connection that I needed to take ownership of my faith. The Church Fathers never wavered in their doctrinal teachings that were handed onto them by the Apostles despite all of the persecutions that were taking place.

I believe that it is even more important to have this deep-rooted knowledge of our faith today because of the many different voices, from within our Church as well as without, that we hear through all the social media platforms.  We (I) are unaware of just how much we are influenced by our Culture which is always changing.  Randall Smith, in his article in the February 7 edition of the “The Catholic Thing,” speaks about the cultural influences even on our ordained ministry as they are being taught in the seminaries.  Looking back, I can see those influences even in my own studies for my master’s degree in Theology.

I urge you during this upcoming time of Lent to spend some time connecting with foundation of our faith.  Spend some time reading about how our Catholic faith emerged out of the 1^st century.  How it dealt with all the heresies, persecutions and sometimes overindulged Emperors who wanted to control the Church.  Get to know the Church Fathers who anchored our faith through turbulent waters.  Your faith will become stronger for it.

Suggested Videos:

Timeless: A History of the Catholic Church (2018) Steve Weidenkopf

Catholicism and Protestantism: The History and Organization of the Roman Catholi9c Church, Dallas Theological Seminary.

The Real Story of the Catholic History;  Timeless: A History of the Catholic Church; Light From Darkness,  Steve Weidenkopf

Pope Peter;  The Early Church was the Catholic Church, Joe Heschmeyer

One, Holy, Catholic, And Apostolic, Kenneth Whitehead

Triumph: The Power and the Glory of the Catholic Church, H.W. Crocker III