Sitting on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in Capernaum is as good a place as any to start this blog. I never had any desire to travel to Israel, but the opportunity came a few years ago and I seized it because of the people I could travel with. And so on the day we visited Capernaum, I sat by myself on the rocks by the shore, captivated. I had about 15 minutes before the bus would leave. I didn’t want to go. Of all the places we visited on that trip, all the places one expects to be moved by, this was the place that rooted my feet to the ground, held me then and holds my heart today.

That snapshot has a lot to say about the existence of this blog. Let me explain.

I’m what is known as a “cradle Catholic.” I was baptized into the Roman Catholic Church as an infant. In my early twenties I made a decision to investigate my faith and find out if I really wanted to stay in the church. Was it a good fit? At the time I said yes.

Now, many years later, that same church struggles with a pedophilia scandal, has censured women religious and has just instituted, in my eyes, a questionable liturgical reform. And I feel it is again time for me to take stock of who I am, what I believe, and whether the church is still a good fit.

During the journey from my early twenties I fulfilled an ambition and graduated with a B.A. in theology. When questions started pouring out of me as to why I’m still Catholic and what is it that I really believe, I decided to revisit my studies from that time. So this blog will be an investigation of that time, what I studied and what I wrote, with perspective from where I stand today. I hope this exploration will be interesting to some.

The importance of the paragraph with which I began this post cannot be stressed enough. For I walked the in the steps of Jesus in Jerusalem  before his crucifixion, visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (where, by the way, warring clerics pitched a physical battle a few days later), saw the place in Bethlehem where Jesus purportedly was born–yet none of those held me as did the Sea of Galilee. Sitting there in Capernaum, I could imagine a man sitting, observing the afternoon sun on the water just as I did. The question for me has always been, “Who is this Jesus?” That’s always been the important question. That, and “What is this God in who we profess belief?” These questions leap outside the boundary of church and doctrine, have always been paramount to me over and above loyalty to church, hierarchy, the Vatican and the Papal See. Here is where I start my journey.

A few clarifications starting off. What I say here are my own thoughts and beliefs. I do not intend to expound the doctrine of the Catholic Church, although that may certainly enter into the conversation. All text and photos are copyrighted by me. You need my permission to use either in any way or form.

I welcome comments. I only ask that the conversation be civil and on point. Let the fun begin!