Concerns about Catholicism

[whitewashed_tomb]

Your words are consoling, thank you for that. Just now I was brought comfort while reading Matthew as well: "For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

I just need to humble myself and accept that although the Church may be but a small remnant, Christ will still be present.

I think maybe I need to take a break from the current news cycle and forums for a bit and focus on more spiritual reading and prayer...

I understand how you feel. As much as I want to discuss issues of faith and keep abreast of all the latest happenings and scandals within the Church, I often feel more confused and exhausted than enlightened by it all. Rather than providing me with clear answers of where I stand and what I should do, all the time I spend absorbing this information usually only leads to an increase in doubts and anxiety. Like you, I feel the need to just break with it all (I already gave up Twitter for this reason) and focus on what is truly important: prayer and spiritual reading, as you say. It's been too long since I read something spiritual purely for enjoyment, not for any polemical reasons. While it may be important to stay informed and I definitely don't want to simply bury my head in the sand, ultimately there's very little I or any layperson can do in regards to these huge problems within the Church. All we can do is pray and stay close to Christ, and that's what I really need to focus on and strengthen in my life.