New Wineskins

When it comes to our faith lives, what habits and practices will fit the people we are becoming?

This week on the Raised Catholic podcast, I’ll tell a couple of stories from my real life that make pretty good metaphors for how we can handle our faith practice in these changing times.

Since 2020, or for some of us, a few years before, lots of us who were raised Catholic have been taking a deeper look at what it is our faith actually teaches. We’ll hear homilies or see content from some public American Catholic voices that just do not sound like Jesus to us, and this has caused lots of us to make some hard decisions about what we believe, how we practice, and about our faith rhythms, habits, and communities.

In Protestant churches, this process of examination is often called faith deconstruction, and it’s hard to find Catholics who will use that term (though I do), because many of us were raised to believe that for Catholics, there’s no questioning allowed, no discerning the questions we have, so we’re either in or we’re out. And so, when faced with a conflict or a question, many of us simply leave, quietly. Maybe you can relate to that.

Give this week’s episode a listen (or read the transcript), and let’s talk about where you are in your faith these days.

Are you digging out your beliefs and practices in the foundations of your faith?

Are you trying on new ideas?

Is there a question you’re considering?

Have you or someone close to you had an experience that sent them away from regular mass attendance or a parish you or they used to call home?

Oh friend, you are certainly not alone. There are lots of us out here and God is always at work making all things new. Let’s talk about our experience in the comments. All (kind people) are welcome in this place.