My Struggle With Faith

My Struggle With Faith is a 2006 nonfiction book by Father Joseph Girzone. It is an honest, deeply personal account of the author’s attempt to come to an understanding about Christianity and its relevance in today’s modern world.

Here are some excerpts: “Caring for others was central to Jesus’ message. For that reason, many people accepted His teaching and followed Him, often at great cost to themselves, as many lost family and loved ones. In time this group that gathered around Him became a family of people who cared. This was revolutionary, because it was intimate. For Jesus, no one was a stranger, and when He accepted them into His family, from then on none of them was a stranger to the others. “

”Questioning is part of the process of adolescence. It is a time of growing and understanding, a time when we take stock of our childhood beliefs and reconsider them in light of our own emerging intelligence.”

Concerning the institution of the Catholic Church: “Little by little, the beautiful spirit of Jesus faded from sight as the institution became more and more powerful. The Church itself was becoming the message rather than the medium of the message, which is Jesus. The gentle, humble God who came down to earth to teach love and humility seemed and still seems to be an embarrassment to those who enjoy basking in the power and prestige that sets them above people.”

“The Church is a most difficult society precisely because of its mission. Its mission is to gather together the sheep in a flock with all types of sheep, the good and the bad, the sleek and the crippled, the hurting and the healthy. If the Church is doing its job, it will always be full of sinners, from top to bottom. And a family full of sinners will, even at its best, be a dysfunctional one.”

“Love has been dying a slow death in our world today. Christian politicians attack and destroy political opponents in whatever way they can. Jesus won sinners back into His father’s love by His understanding and compassion rather than by harsh criticism of their behavior. Jesus’ secret was the ability to see into people’s hearts. Seeing their anguish and pain helped Him to understand them.”