As a newbie to Catholicism or as someone exploring the faith, you will likely find one or more teachings that you just can’t get your head around — or flat out disagree with. Oftentimes, these are teachings like the saints, Mary, purgatory or contraception. Don’t worry about this; you are not alone! Most of us struggle with multiple teachings as we learn more about the faith.

Here are some suggestions to help you if you find yourself stuck in this situation:

1) Keep searching – Read, read and read some more. Listen to Catholic radio and watch EWTN. Look it up in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Find Bible verses about the issue. Ask your RCIA leader or another Catholic well educated in the faith. Keep reading different explanations and really delve deeply into the whys of the teaching, and I promise, you will find one an explanation eventually that makes sense to you. I found that every issue I did not understand I eventually came to terms with. Several issues for me included contraception and purgatory.

2) Write a petition – I just finished reading “Gifts of the Visitation” by Denise Bossert (Ave Maria Press, 2015), a convert to Catholicism, who explores the Visitation (when Mary and Elizabeth meet and John the Baptist leaps in his mother’s womb) in detail and shares along the way her conversion to the faith. The daughter of a Protestant minister, she felt called to Catholicism after her father’s death, but especially struggled with the Church’s teaching on Mary’s Immaculate Conception. This teaching is that Mary was conceived in her mother’s womb free from original sin.

After many attempts to understand this teaching, her RCIA leader advised her to write a petition to Mary, asking her to show Denise the truth. What a wonderful idea! Here’s what she wrote:

Mary, if you are as the Catholic Church says, and if you love me, please answer this petition. I want someone to communicate with me by your inspiration. Mary, I want the message to come from you to the ears of one who could know no other way. Please choose someone who, for me, would represent the universal Catholic Church. Then I will know I am right where I am supposed to be and that the Church’s teachings are all correct, terra firma, especially the teachings about you. Please answer my petition before the end of the year–I know, that’s just two weeks.

Thinking it unlikely she would receive a response, she was surprised that the day after she wrote the petition, she received a letter from a woman she had written to after seeing her on EWTN’s The Journey Home. The letter, dated Dec. 8 had hand written beside it “The Feast of the Immaculate Conception.” That was her answer.

While God sends me these types of messages and reassurances quite often — now that I’m looking for them! — I too had a WOW moment after praying to my confirmation saint, St. Therese of Lisieux, for a specific intention. Known for sending roses as signs, as soon as I woke up the next morning and stumbled outside to pick up my paper, I opened it to find giant picture of a rose across the whole paper and a story about decorating your home with roses. Thanks St. Therese!

How did you come to terms with a Catholic teaching you were struggling with?

In reviewing my website analytics, I discovered that someone came across my blog after typing this question into Google. I just wanted to provide a big old YES! You can most definitely attend any type of mass as an RCIA candidate or even as a non-Catholic. The only thing you cannot participate in is receiving the Eucharist.

While I was in RCIA, I attended daily mass quite often. I learned SO much from the homilies and was inspired to learn more on a variety of different topics. I always chose to go up and receive a blessing from the priest during mass, though if you are uncomfortable, you don’t need to do that. I always looked at it as I’ll take any and all blessings I can get :).

If you choose to go up, just cross your arms over your chest and the priest will know you would like to receive a blessing instead of communion. Or alternately, you can just stand in the pew and wave others past you. Catholics do not receive communion if they feel they have committed a mortal sin, as we must be in a worthy state to receive, so you likely will not be alone in not receiving the Eucharist.

One other note, I felt daily mass was confusing at first, as it seemed different to me than Sunday mass. It is a shortened form and sometimes they choose alternate versions of some of the things we speak aloud. Find a guide to the mass and bring it along. You may also want to pick up guidebook outside the chapel or church or get yourself a missal, which has the daily readings, as well as the Entrance Antiphon, which we say at the beginning of mass, and the Communion Antiphon, which we say at the end of mass. Just follow along with everyone else and after a few weeks, you’ll have it down pat.

Got other questions about RCIA? Shout! I would love to help.

Got newbie questions? You’re not alone! I do, too. Here’s one that I wonder about every time we read it at mass. I would love any help with the answer!

In the below Gospel reading, how do the people Jesus is speaking to know what He’s talking about when He tells them to “take up their cross” when He has not died on the cross yet? Is it because this was a common occurrence at that time so people were familiar with the reference? Or do they not understand the reference yet? That one always gets me thinking…

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Lk 9:23)

Thanks for the help!