Annemarie Scobey-Polacheck on Helping Others Through a Crisis of Faith

"When Lisa Marie, now in her 40s, was a teenager, she began to experience doubts about God. Raised in a faithful, churchgoing Catholic family and attending a Catholic high school, Lisa Marie found these doubts unsettling. 'I wasn't sure if all this I was learning about God was real,' she explains. 'So I asked God to give me faith the size of a mustard seed. I basically prayed that God would give me the faith that I didn't have.'

"The result, Lisa Marie says, was a profound experience of conversion. She began to feel God's presence as she never had before. Her prayer life took on a new meaning and became a focus. Now married and a mother to Josh, 13, and Eliana, 7, Lisa Marie leans on her own personal experience with feeling doubtful when she talks to others about matters of faith. 'I feel so passionately that all you need to do if you want faith is to ask for it - be open to it. God will do the rest,' she says.

"Many of us may feel unqualified to counsel anyone about their faith. It's an easy topic to avoid - those feeling doubt may not want to admit their questions. People with strong faith may be afraid of coming off as spiritually arrogant when speaking to someone who is struggling."

In a recent essay in U.S. Catholic, writer Annemarie Scobey-Polacheck reflected on how we can share our faith with others (including family members).

To access Ms. Scobey-Polacheck's complete essay, please visit:

U.S. Catholic: How to help others through a crisis of faith October (2010)