Being able to question things is a value that we all need to have.  It is really important to question things and not always just believe things when we hear them.

In the Bible, St Paul wrote many parts of the Bible and was very active when Christianity first began,  But this is what people did when he spoke:

They listened to the message with great eagerness, and every day they studied the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was really true.^{Acts 17:11}

It is interesting that the Bible describes how they checked what Paul said and didn’t just believe it all.

Your faith can become stronger if you question things, because this helps you find your own evidence to support your faith.  This makes it personal.

It is good to question things so that we can be sure ourselves.

Here is a speech by Robert Prevost.  He has just become the new Pope.  As you read this together as a class, reflect on what he is saying and remember that you are welcome with all of your questions!

‘Brothers, sisters… I speak to you, especially to those who no longer believe, no longer hope, no longer pray, because they think God has left.

I, too, was angry with God. I, too, saw good people die, children suffer, grandparents cry without medicine. And yes… there were days when I prayed and only felt an echo.

But then I discovered something: God doesn't shout. God whispers. And sometimes He whispers from the mud, from pain, from a grandmother who feeds you without having anything.

I don't come to offer you perfect faith. I come to tell you that faith is a walk with stones, puddles, and unexpected hugs.

I'm not asking you to believe in everything. I'm asking you not to close the door. Give a chance to the God who waits for you without judgment.

I'm just a priest who saw God in the smile of a woman who lost her son... and yet she cooked for others.

That changed me.

So if you're broken, if you don't believe, if you're tired of the lies... come anyway. With your anger, your doubt, your dirty backpack. No one here will ask you for a VIP card.

Because this Church, as long as I breathe, will be a home for the homeless, and a rest for the weary.

God doesn't need soldiers. He needs brothers and sisters.

And you, yes, you... are one of them."

* "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." - Albert Einstein flickr photo by Brian Metcalfe shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) license