Dear fellow Catholics,

Here's the thing: I'm Catholic, but am I Catholic enough for you? I don't go to Mass every Sunday; heck I don't even go on big holidays like Christmas or Easter. I can only tell you the names of maybe three saints off the top of my head. I don't have the Creed memorized. Does this make me a bad Catholic?

Now I've identified myself as Catholic my entire life. I've gone through Baptism and Confirmation just like every other Catholic. I believe in God and talk to Him when I'm going through rough patches. But here's the kicker: I live on a Catholic campus now. This means that I'm surrounded by so much Catholic that sometimes it feels like I'm drowning in it. I was in a more comfortable place with my faith before I even set foot on this campus. On a Catholic campus, everybody is more Catholic than you. If I've learned anything from my theology classes, it's that the Bible is way more confusing than people let on. And I have way too many questions to count.

Are the Father, Son and Holy Spirit one being or separate entities? If they're one being, then why does Jesus pray to God right before He's crucified? If He is God, why would He pray to Himself?

Why is God so harsh in the Old Testament? He kills so many of the people He created; examples include the flood that wiped out everyone except Noah, his family and the animals on the ark, destroys nations and cities in Canaan, need I go on? Does this make God a killer?

Catholics believe in God. Jews believe in God. Yet take a look at how many Jews were killed throughout history by Catholics. I'm not even just talking about the Holocaust here; Jews were persecuted for nearly 2,000 years. One of the commandments is "thou shalt not kill." Yet there was a lot of killing. Not to mention that Jesus was a Jew. Did Catholics just forget about that?

Does asking these question make me a bad Catholic? Am I supposed to blindly believe in the scriptures and everything they stand for? I mean, even the Church is beginning to agree that the Big Bang Theory is more accurate than Genesis.

Yet I still see myself as a good Catholic. Here's why.

I believe in God, and I make sure I'm a good person. I try my hardest to live a selfless lifestyle. I give donations to the needy as often as I can. I'm an extra ear when people feel lost and need to talk. I'd rather do volunteer work than have a "real job."

I believe that God has a plan for all of us. No matter how many people tell me how to act and what to believe, who's to say what God wants? Only God knows that. I believe that to lead the best and most fulfilling Catholic life possible, you have to keep in mind the person you aspire to be, and work towards being that person every day. Whether you're a man or a woman, gay or straight, a textbook Catholic or a Catholic like me, God's got a plan for us, and one day we'll wake up and realize we ended up where He called us to be.

At the beginning of this letter, I asked if I was Catholic enough for you. Guess what? I don't care. All that matters is if I'm Catholic enough for me.

And I am.

Sincerely,

A Good Catholic