By Paul Thigpen

Keep Asking Those Questions

I recently moved from one end to the other of my native state, Georgia, from the sparkling sea to the peaceful mountains. Few job offers could have had the power to tear me away from my beloved hometown, Savannah. But the chance to teach theology at Southern Catholic College, nestled in the Appalachian foothills an hour north of Atlanta, did just that.

I'm thrilled that the folks at Our Sunday Visitor have allowed me to stay on with TCA, because I thoroughly enjoy editing every issue of this magazine. And the truth is that the two sets of responsibilities -- as professor at a Catholic college and editor of a Catholic periodical -- are deeply complementary.

TCA, you see, is itself a theology classroom of sorts. Through the print and digital versions of this magazine, as well as our online feature "TCA Question of the Day," we serve eager seekers of Catholic truth.

Both readers of the magazine and students of the college come asking questions about our faith -- not just about theology, but also Scripture, Tradition, sacraments, liturgy, moral issues, Church history, canon law and much more. In both "classrooms," my job is to provide a place where inquirers can encounter the wealth of the Church's wisdom. And in both settings, I learn just as much as everyone else.

In the days to come, then, I expect that questions from my students will be showing up in the magazine, and questions from our readers will be showing up in the classroom. My two roles as professor and editor will enrich each other, while my college students and magazine readers will no doubt enrich one another as well.

Since I first took the helm of TCA, I've often reminded our contributors that we seek to answer primarily three kinds of queries: questions that Catholics are often asking; questions that Catholics are often being asked; and questions that Catholics shouldbe asking.

Occasionally, we may answer a query that seems to some readers rather trivial or eccentric. But even replies to questions about a little-known saint, a subtle liturgical gesture, an obscure Bible verse, the precise wording of canon law, can lead to profound thoughts about great matters that concern us all.

So I say to both readers and students: Keep asking those questions, whether great or small. The answers we'll discover together could have the power to change our lives forever. TCA