Mitch Finley is the author of 30+ books on Roman Catholic theological topics and spirituality, all written to appeal to both non-academic and academic readers. Mitch holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Santa Clara University and an M.A. in Theology from Marquette University. He and Kathy Finley have been married since 1974 and are the parents of three grown sons. To learn more, visit his website.
If Jesus is the Word of God that is God, from the Gospel of John, then how is calling a collection of letters, poetry, and other stories [the Bible], “The Word of God” not blasphemy?
In addition to the Latin, or Roman, tradition, there are seven non-Latin, non-Roman Catholic churches: Armenian, Byzantine, Coptic, Ethiopian, East Syriac (Chaldean), West Syriac, and Maronite
Your average middle-aged-to-older adult remembers when it was a requirement for all Catholics to abstain from meat on all Fridays as long as their health allowed.
It's not going to happen overnight, but change it will if and when it's God's will. However, leaving the church rather than sticking around to help it change helps change happen not at all.
When you ask if “sacraments work,” I presume you want to know if the Catholic Church's seven sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, Holy Orders) are real or mere “symbols.”