A Faith Worth Living: Now More Than Ever

By Jack E. Shick

A Faith Worth Living looks at the reasons why one should have faith and addresses the many questions that people put forth as to why they do not consider faith an option in their lives. It also addresses what impact faith could have for one’s life. Finally, it provides a clear and reasonable argument for the completeness and beauty of the Catholic Faith. It is a complete and total argument for that faith. It is a must read for those who are searching as well as those who are comfortable in their faith.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9781728327488

Jack E. Shick

Jack Shick was a convert to Catholicism as a young man. He fell away from the church when the Priest Scandal hit in 2002. He returned to the church after a few years and has grown his faith considerably since then. Today, it is his purpose to share that faith with others. He is a father of 3 children and a grandfather of 6 grandchildren. He is currently retired and resides with his wife in Virginia Beach.

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Copyright © 2019 Jack E. Shick. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/13/2019

ISBN: 978-1-7283-2750-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-2749-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-7283-2748-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019914176

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

To

Cyndi, Jack, and Jason, the three most precious gifts God has granted in my life. Also, to Margaret Mary, who, although we lost her, remains an important member of our family. I can’t help but believe that she, in some small way, looks out for our family.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

My Witness

Chapter 1   The Existence of God: A Leap of Faith?

Chapter 2   Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Chapter 3   Is God a Loving God?

Chapter 4   One True God: Monotheism

Chapter 5   Is Jesus Christ the Son of God?

Chapter 6   How Can I Live My Faith?

Chapter 7   How Do I Develop a Personal Relationship with Jesus and Grow My Faith?

Chapter 8   A Few Words about the Devil

Chapter 9   The Eucharist: The Most Fundamental Sacrament

Chapter 10   The Mass: The Feast of Our Lord

Chapter 11   The Holy Trinity: The Great Mystery of Our Faith

Chapter 12   The Blessed Virgin Mary: Mother of God, Mother of Us All

Chapter 13   The Communion of Saints: Intercessors for Us and Examples to Live By and Strive For

Chapter 14   The Sacrament of Reconciliation: The Forgiveness of Sins

Chapter 15   The Sacraments of the Church: Gifts of the Lord

Chapter 16   Papal Authority: The Successor of Peter and the Keeper of the Keys

Chapter 17   Fasting and Abstinence: Sacrifices to God

Chapter 18   Holy Days of Obligation: Our Duty to Worship

Chapter 19   The Holy Rosary: Our Lady’s Angelic Psalter

Chapter 20   Marian Apparitions: Windows to Heaven and the Future Kingdom of God

Acknowledgments

T here are a few people I really need to acknowledge for their help and assistance in putting this book together. First and foremost is Deacon Vince Kapral, who acted as a spiritual advisor during this project. His knowledge, thoughts, and insights made this a better book, and they made me a better person over the years we have known each other.

I also need to thank the members of the Legion of Mary praesidium at Saint John the Apostle Catholic Church, where I am a member. Many of you will see the many thoughts and ideas we have discussed over the past few years in these pages. I will always be grateful for the love and caring that is such a huge part of this group.

Many thanks also go to the men of the Knights of Columbus Council 13467 for providing me with many opportunities to practice my faith in a very positive way. It is inspiring to work with so many men of the same faith and values.

I also need to thank my best critic, who is also my soul mate and the love of my life, my lovely wife, Suzanne. As with anything in my life, I could not have done this without her help.

Finally, I have to acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit in providing a guiding hand in putting these thoughts into a cohesive and credible argument for the wisdom and truth contained within our faith.

Preface

T he original manuscript for this book was completed in 2016. At the time I had primarily written it for my children and although I have made a great many changes to the book since then the central message is still the same although directed to a vastly different audience. The book has sat unpublished since then and until very recently I wondered why I was inspired to write it in the first place. I concluded that it was a labor of love and that the inspiration had been as much for my own benefit as anything.

Then the latest scandals again rocked our church and that little voice inside me said that now was the time to go forward with this book. I had always heard people say, In God’s time not in Man’s. Perhaps the timing was not yet right for such a book until we have found ourselves in our present situation. Having been one of those who made the mistake of leaving the church for a period of time back in 2002, I determined that this time around I was duty bound to help prevent those who were thinking about leaving the faith to not do so. I forgot just why I was a Catholic back then, and I wanted to remind people why they were Catholic now. Then that little whisper in my ear said, Remember that book? So, I set about doing some major overhaul and have decided to publish it myself. That is because I believe that I am now required to actually put some of my own resources on the line if I am serious about doing what I say is my goal.

So, I offer this book for three very personal reasons. First, as a personal penance for my own failure of leaving the Church when I was needed. Second, as my attempt to prevent others from making the same mistake. Finally, as my contribution to what many have called the new evangelization. Scripture says, be a light to the world. This then is my lamp, and I place it on a lampstand for all to see. I hope you will place yours beside it, and we can illuminate the world together.

Introduction

T he world is full of people who are searching for something they just can’t seem to find. At the same time, the world we live in seems to be spinning out of control. We are more isolated as individuals and more divided as a society than at any other time in history. The faster we seem to run, the farther behind we feel. We also see what some call the complete moral breakdown of our society, and there no longer seems to be any absolute truth in our world.

The philosophy of relativism has become the religion of many people. Violence and terror have become just another fact of life, sometimes seen as a video game for young people. Once again, the Catholic Church is in the news as the clerical scandals of the past have resurfaced. Instinctively, many people know something has gone terribly wrong, but most people do not know how to put a finger on it. Others want to change our present situation but do not know how to proceed. That is what I hope to answer in this book. It is my contention that the world we live in is suffering from a lack of faith and a turning away from God as in ages past. As the great Saint Augustine put so aptly, Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee. If we can each start with ourselves and those around us, perhaps we can change the world after all.

So, as you can readily see, this is a book about faith. In my particular case, it is the truth and richness of the Catholic faith that I was privileged to find more than forty-eight years ago as a young man, and as you will see, I practiced without fully understanding for a number of years. However, you don’t necessarily need to be Catholic to read it and get a better understanding of your own faith. In fact, I hope to challenge your understanding and get you to really think about what you believe or do not believe.

I have chosen to begin this book with my witness because I believe it will allow those who read it to understand where I am coming from in the following pages. It is not only a story of my faith journey; it is also a short description of my life. You see, I am one of those individuals who left the church when the priest scandals of 2002 rocked our faith. After a few years, I returned to the church and happily practiced my faith for a number of years. I read a book called Goodbye, Good Men, which hit a little too close to home, and I left the church again for a while.

I truly believe those two decisions were the worst mistakes of my life, and they impacted my family and myself more than I could have ever imagined at the time. When Pope Francis was elected, I felt a call to return to the church and my faith. As he addressed the faithful for the first time, it was like he was addressing me. I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit giving me one of those nudges that he has been doing in my life for many years. When I came back, I came back all the way with my entire heart and soul. I honestly found the mercy and grace I had been seeking but missing all those years. It was as if our daughter Margaret Mary, whom we lost, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, and the Blessed Mother Mary had me by the hand and were leading me back to Christ and the church where I belonged.

In the fall of 2013, I attended a weekend retreat called Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP). The weekend was designed to allow men to examine their own faith by listening to others present their own faith journey. The real heart of the program, however, was to spend the next six months preparing to be the presenters for the next weekend. This required me to examine my life, and I didn’t really like what I saw.

I prepared alongside some folks who I have grown close to over the years since then, and we successfully completed our task in the spring of 2014. I readily admit that I held back a few things when I first gave this witness, and that is why those few who have heard it will find that it differs a little from what they originally heard. Since each witness had a theme, mine was on discipleship. So, for better or worse, here is the story of my own faith journey.

My Witness

T he definition of a disciple is a follower of a teacher or leader. By that definition, I have been a disciple of Christ my entire life. However, like the people of ancient Israel and their early relationship with God, that commitment and enthusiasm as a follower has risen and fallen over the years. It has only been in the past few years that I have come to understand what it truly means to be a disciple of Christ.

I was born in the coal and steel territory of Northern Pennsylvania. My father was a coal miner before World War II and became a carpenter afterward. My mother was a farm girl from the same area. Interestingly, they both had the same last name, but all research indicated that they were in no way related. The internet did not exist then, but it does now, and I have discovered that they are both related to a Revolutionary War soldier, Christian, and his wife, Mary. When I first learned that, I was blown away by the names. By that time in my life, Mary had become an extremely important part of my faith life because I recognized her as not only the Mother of God but also the mother of us all.

We were not poor by any stretch of the imagination, but we were not rich either. I had a great childhood with friends and activities. My parents always ensured that I was involved in scouts and sports and had the same opportunities as most young kids, from what I guess would be considered a lower-middle-class family. Family was important to them, and we spent almost every Sunday after church visiting both families at gatherings at my grandparents’ homes about a one-hour drive from where we lived. The things I remember most about those Sundays are interacting with my cousins, Grandma’s homemade pies, and my father and uncles gathered around belting out hymns while Grandma played the piano. My father carried that quality into his own church and was always the loudest singer in the congregation. There are still songs that remind me of those times every time I hear them.

I was raised as a Methodist, and despite the fact that we went to church almost every Sunday, and I sang in the youth choir and went to revival meetings and saw people being saved, I never really understood religion to be anything other than where you went on Sunday mornings and learned that you had to be good and do good so you could go up there and not down there. There was a belief structure, but it never became personal. My faith had not yet become an interior way of life.

I had a great life in high school. I was somewhat popular, was involved in many activities, and always seemed to be able to find a date on a Saturday night. I always seemed to have enough money to do what I wanted despite the fact that I never had a job until I graduated. It wasn’t the thing to do back then.

At the end of high school, I faced a dilemma. My parents wanted me to become the first member of my family on either side to graduate from college, and I had been accepted at a small Methodist college. I knew my parents could not afford the expense. I had also become involved with a young lady who wanted to get married. I solved this dilemma by visiting my friendly navy recruiter and enlisting. I joined two days before my eighteenth birthday so I would only have to do three years. As it turned out, I wouldn’t take the uniform off for forty-five years. Looking back, I honestly believe that this was the first gentle nudge by the Holy Spirit to change my life, and there would be many more.

My early years in the navy were rather uneventful, but I did develop a desire to grow up—and I longed to fly the airplanes I worked on. It was another gentle nudge in the right direction. I visited the career development office to inquire about the enlisted to officer program and was told that I was too young and too junior but that I should try for a Naval Academy appointment. I thought at the time that was the funniest thing I had ever heard. A year later, I was at the prep school, and a year after that, I entered USNA with the class of 1973 as the oldest man in the class. There I met some folks who are still some of the best friends I have ever made, and we remain close and in touch today fifty years later. In the end, I never did fly those airplanes, but I ended up having a wonderful navy career, nonetheless.

At the beginning of my second year, I attended a dance on a Sunday afternoon and asked a young lady to dance. That was the best move I have ever made in my life, and it also changed my life completely both personally and spiritually. That is when I met my soul mate, my best friend, and my wife of forty-six years, Suzanne. It turned out that this particular young lady was a Catholic. Back then, midshipmen had to go to church every Sunday morning, and upperclassmen could sit with their girlfriends.

When the Academy was in session, she went to church with me, and when we were away from school, I went to Mass with her. For the first time in my life, I saw religion as something more than a place to go on Sundays, and I was really moved by the idea of the Eucharist. As I sat in the pews and watched the Mass, I experienced a sense of longing that I had never before known. I would learn over time that it was a longing for the Eucharist and the presence of Christ in my life. I wanted him to abide in me and me in him. Before even being exposed to the promise, I longed to be a part of it. It wasn’t long before I was knocking on the door of the Catholic chaplain and telling him I wanted to become a Catholic.

That was when I met the first of two navy Catholic chaplains who would each have a very deep and personal influence on my life. Over the next year, I received personal instruction from Father Robert Eckerd once a week. One year later, at Easter, I became a Catholic. Father Eckerd married us in June of that year. He would also meet with both of us sometimes when Suzanne was in Annapolis for the weekend. When it was time for us to go through the classes for marriage, the good Father waived the requirement because we had already had more than our share of training. We were very lucky indeed.

After being commissioned and married one day apart, we began a new life and a career in the navy. I was committed to my religion and became a lay minister on both of the first two ships I served on. We went to Mass regularly and had both Cyndi and Jack Jr. baptized in the church. I thought that those things made me a good disciple. It did in a way, but I did not yet understand what that really meant.

I was also committed to my career in the navy and wore all the awards and accolades I had received as a department head on my sleeve. I took pride in the idea that I was, in fact, the best at something. When a visiting commodore totally embarrassed me in front of my men, I was unable to think clearly about my career any longer and resigned. In retrospect, I let my anger get the best of me and impact an important decision. In this particular case, however, I believe that this was a gentle nudge that would put me where I needed to be a short while later.

Four months later, I was back in uniform. I was stationed at the navy yard, and we lived close enough that we saw a good deal of Suzanne’s parents who lived in Annapolis. That was a very good thing because a year or so into the tour, her mother contracted cancer and was dead a few short years later at age fifty-five. It was a huge blow to her and one that someone simply doesn’t ever recover from. We were thankful that we had that time to spend back home.

Shortly after we laid her mom to rest, we were once again on the move. The navy transferred us all the way across country to Monterey, California, and postgraduate school. Little did we know that the next eighteen months would be some of the most wonderful and most sorrowful times of our lives. I guess the Holy Spirit was working overtime on me during this time, and I am always reminded of the poem about footprints in the sand when I think about those days.

A tour at the PG school literally assures a supply corps officer that he will make commander, and that was an excellent opportunity. We were very upbeat as we checked in for our first West Coast duty. As we checked in and went through indoctrination, we were told that (tongue in cheek) everybody going through PG school got divorced, got pregnant, or got a dog. We immediately went out and adopted a rescue dog named Tonto, but it did not work, and Suzanne soon found herself pregnant again.

We also fell into a great group of people at the Catholic church on school grounds, and we both became very close to the priest there. Father Dempsey was another Navy chaplain. We volunteered for almost every task and attended a Bible study group every Wednesday with about four other couples and the good Father. It was a wonderful support group, and we both found that our faith grew and became stronger. I really felt like a disciple of Christ, but I don’t think I was there yet.

It was a very happy time for both of us. I was able to do a number of things at the same time. I made straight As and carried the highest average of anyone in my class. I was totally involved with the church and a number of really good friends, and my golf game was better than it had been in years because I had time to play and people to play with. I even had a standing weekly golf date with Father Dempsey.

Then, on December 16, 1981, our entire world came crashing down. Suzanne was five and a half months pregnant at the time and was experiencing a difficult time with this pregnancy. On that particular day,