How to answer tough questions as a Catholic

Being Catholic is a beautiful, powerful, life-changing gift.

We are the Church founded by Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago, continuing the apostolic succession in an unbroken line through the centuries.

We consume his Body and Blood so that he is really present with us and makes us more like himself every time we receive him.

The fullness of the truth is in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, in both reason and faith. We enjoy undaunted intellectual exploration while respecting the holy mysteries that give our lives meaning and purpose.

We have the examples of the saints to support and guide us, and we can find a Catholic Mass anywhere we go on this planet.

It’s an incredible thing. But sometimes — actually quite often — the world doesn’t understand who we are, what we believe, and what we stand for. 

When these situations arise and someone challenges our beliefs, we can always find the answer with a little research. But it also helps to be prepared ahead of time with an understanding of how our faith responds to tricky scenarios. 

If you want to be prepared to answer tough questions about Catholic beliefs, check out these helpful books. 

In this Q&A style book, author David Bonagura answers 100 questions submitted by young adults in New York City. These questions encompass every hot-button issue surrounding Catholicism, morality, and the supernatural. 

Within these pages, you'll find clear, faithful answers. It’s a great read for anyone searching or struggling, or simply wanting to understand the Catholic faith better.

Want to share the Church’s answer to tough questions with the younger generation? Check out Catholic Sprouts’ Catholic Social Teaching for Youth, a book written for teens but accessible and helpful for all ages.

This book offers a ready-to-use script for Catholic parents to teach their children the truth about modern moral and social issues. The book goes through all 31 Catholic Social Teaching topics, from the Dignity of the Human Person, through the Call to Family, Solidarity, Care for the Land and Workers Rights. 

It’s a very helpful resource for Catholic school teachers, religious education teachers, parents and grandparents, and anyone answering questions from curious young people about our faith.

Catholic convert Trent Horn spent years fielding questions from friends and family, questions like these: 

How can you believe all this stuff? Why do we believe that God exists, that he became a man and came to save us, that what looks like a wafer of bread is actually his body? Why do we believe that he inspired a holy book and founded an infallible Church to teach us the one true way to live?

Finally he assembled the clearest, friendliest, most helpful answers he gave to these questions … and many more. This book is a helpful introduction to Catholic beliefs for anyone who’s curious.