A HUNDRED STEPS IN A JOURNEY OF FAITH | KAIROS GLOBAL | JULY 2026

Author: Fr Bitaju Mathew

Intro: Since the first issue of Kairos Global, Fr Bitaju Mathew O.SS.T has been answering faith and life questions in the magazine.

A Milestone of Grace and Providence

Congratulations to the entire Kairos Global family on reaching the monumental milestone of the 100th issue! It is with a heart full of gratitude and wonder that I join you in celebrating this remarkable achievement.

Looking back at the genesis of this publication and surveying its current landscape, this has truly been a collective ‘journey of faith’. For me personally, this milestone marks a deeply personal journey that has fundamentally reshaped my priesthood. Over the years, this column has been a continuous invitation from the Holy Spirit to cast aside reliance on my own limited human capacities and lean entirely into the unfolding providence of Almighty God.

When the editorial team first proposed the column ASK Fr Bitaju, my initial reaction was a mixture of excitement and pastoral zeal. However, looking back, I candidly confess I had no idea of the weight of the commitment. Deadlines, rigorous theological research, and the emotional weight of addressing real human struggles have tested me repeatedly. Yet, on the threshold of this 100th issue, I look back with absolute clarity and declare that I do not regret making that commitment for a single moment.

From Fear to Pastoral Accompaniment

I still vividly remember the precise mix of anxiety and reverence that consumed me when I sat down to compose ASK Fr Bitaju #1. I was terrified. The fear of misrepresenting sacred doctrine or giving a flawed, confusing answer to a complex theological question weighed heavily on my conscience. To make matters more daunting, the very first question submitted to the column cut straight to the core of human existence: Does God have a specific plan for my life? If so, how do I identify it? What are the signs that my path in life is aligned with His plan?

As I pen this 100th column, a beautiful paradigm shift has occurred in my understanding of this ministry. I have come to realise that the most urgent questions confronting the modern believer are deeply existential. They are the cries of the human heart asking where to find a loving God when life hurts, when tragedies strike, and when everyday choices become agonisingly complex.

Truth in an Age of Information Overload

People’s questions reveal an inner quest for the divine. In a world of shifting moral sands, the faithful do not want subjective opinions; they desire to know what the Catholic Church actually teaches.

Today, digital information saturates us with competing worldviews and instant secular answers. However, many who submit questions have already consumed these superficial philosophies, only to be left spiritually dry and unsatisfied. They turn to ASK Fr Bitaju seeking something timeless to withstand life’s severe storms.

This is where the Church’s Magisterium shines as a beacon of hope. The deposit of faith offers eternal truths rooted in Jesus Christ, who declared, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life’ (John 14:6). Over the years, this search for truth has led our readers to ask some of contemporary society's most pressing, complex, and controversial questions, including:

• Authority & Doctrine: Do we need to follow everything that the Pope says? (Q5)

• Sexuality & Dignity: What is the Catholic approach to homosexuality? (Q74) and Does the Church support LGBTQ+ people? If not, why? (Q90)

• Culture & the Body: As a Catholic, is it sinful to get tattooed or to pierce one’s body? (Q75)

• Family Life: Which is better: having few kids whom you can care for and raise well, or having many kids who grow up as wounded and bitter individuals? (Q76)

• The Priesthood: If women cannot become priests and there is a decline in vocations to the priesthood, what is the solution to this challenge? (Q81)

• Relationships: Is living together before marriage a sin? (Q97)

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The School of Humility and Growth

In the column's early years, researching a single question took weeks due to my unfamiliarity with available Catholic resources. Today, years of experience have streamlined this process into a few short days.

Answering these questions remains a lesson in profound humility; the more I research, the more I realise how little I know about the mysteries of our faith. This journey has also brought light-hearted surprises, like being introduced at Jesus Youth events as ‘Ask Fr Bitaju’ by presenters who genuinely thought it was my legal name, or being put on the spot to answer difficult queries extemporaneously.

Yet, I most deeply treasure the quiet, personal interactions. Several hesitant inquiries have blossomed into long-term relationships of spiritual direction and accompaniment. This mutual journeying has become a source of immense grace, beautifully nourishing my own priesthood and strengthening our shared Catholic faith.

Questions that Convert the Catechist

Answering the questions does not place me on a pedestal of certainty.  Often, some of the questions have left me sleepless, seeking doctrinally sound yet pastorally healing responses. This raw honesty in the questions often challenged me, sparking a deep personal conversion in my own attitudes and understanding when facing agonising queries.  I think of agonising, heavy questions such as:

• Success & Identity: Does God want me to be successful in my studies and chosen career? (Q10)

• The Celibate Life: Why can’t priests marry? Doesn’t God want them to use their sexuality? (Q12)

• Suffering & Mercy: If God already loves us unconditionally, why are trials and tribulations put in place to go back to Him? (Q26)

• The Problem of Evil: Why do innocent children have to suffer from terminal diseases such as cancer? What part of ‘God’s plan’ is this exactly? (Q44)

• Spiritual Warfare: Many, including some leaders of the Church, say there is no Satan. What does the Church teach about the existence of Satan? (Q85)

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A Testimony to the Kairos Family

Knowing the Kairos Global family – the managing team, editors, and supporters – has been a beautiful grace. You are living witnesses of the Gospel. Watching this publication grow from scratch into an internationally recognised magazine is a modern miracle. It survived the lean years purely through the miraculous generosity, goodwill, and unwavering commitment of its team.

People often ask, ‘Fr Bitaju, how do you get all these questions?’ Initially, the editorial team forwarded them. Over time, I also began gathering inquiries directly from my ministry.

Thank you to everyone who asked questions over these 100 issues. Your challenges pushed me deeper into the Church’s treasury of wisdom. I pray that many more people find the courage to voice their doubts, raise questions, and come to appreciate the breathtaking beauty, intellectual depth, and maternal wisdom of our Catholic faith.

Looking to the Future

Time and again, people from different walks of life, cultures, and age groups have affirmed how a specific answer in the ‘ASK Fr Bitaju’ column provided them with critical clarity and a clear sense of direction in moments of agonising confusion. Hearing these testimonies fills me with a desire to see this evangelisation ministry expand even further. I pray that an ever-greater number of souls across the globe will gain access to Kairos Global magazine, so that they, too, may benefit from the rich, life-giving spiritual resources contained within its pages.

I wish to conclude by invoking God’s richest blessings upon every individual who forms a part of this beautiful missionary endeavour. May the Lord abundantly bless this vibrant community of seekers, writers, benefactors, and believers as Kairos Global celebrates this historic milestone issue.  May our shared questions and our restless holy desires always draw us closer to the ultimate, definitive Answer – Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Cheers to 100 issues of unmerited grace, and to many more miles together on this beautiful journey of faith!

Fr Bitaju Mathew, O.SS.T. is a religious priest of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of the Captives and a member of the St Michael of the Saints Vice-Province in India. Ordained in 2001, he currently serves as the Associate Pastor at the pastorate of St Lawrence Martyr and Resurrection of Our Lord churches in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, USA. He is a member of the Jesus Youth International Formation Team. He is a trained formator and counsellor and accompanies many in their faith journey. Fr Bitaju has been writing the column ‘Ask Fr Bitaju’ from the inception of the magazine.