Why “explore” the Catholic faith? A person either “believes” or he doesn’t! Actually, faith begins with belief, the belief that Jesus’ words are true and that they are spoken to me personally, but my faith matures over time until the promises of Jesus are fulfilled in me: “Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete” (Jn 16:24). Maturing in faith takes work—lots of work!—but what valuable thing is gained without effort? Career, family, and friendships all require work, but they bring great rewards, if we are lucky. Lucky? The concept is un-scriptural, because God guarantees his rewards to those who trust him and follow Jesus. We follow Jesus by listening to his words and putting them into practice. Additionally, as with any endeavor, we need the help of others in order to succeed. We are made that way. No one becomes a physicist all by himself, and no one becomes a mature Christians all by himself; thus Jesus said to Peter: “On this rock I will build my church” (Mt 16:18). And just as the community of physicists preserves the knowledge gleaned through centuries of scientific genius, so the Church preserves the wisdom attained through 2,000 years of spiritual genius, the genius of men and women who succeeded in becoming like Christ. Finally, the Church is the gathering place where people “explore” the faith, where they help one another to understand, and where they encourage one another to live as Jesus lived, that all might find God’s promised joy.