It was a simple question that sparked a debate one time in a letter to the editor of a newspaper: "Why go to church?"

The Rev. Ed Waters, pastor of St. Timothy Roman Catholic Church in Lady Lake, recalled that debate in his weekly "Under the Bridge" column, published in the parish's Sept. 13 bulletin. 

He noted that it all started when a churchgoer wrote to the newspaper expressing his feeling that he was wasting his time— and the priests were wasting theirs— since in his 30 years of attending Mass and having listened to more than 3,000 sermons, he couldn't remember a single one.

After weeks of public debate, someone sent in this letter:

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" Waters quoted in the bulletin. 

It's Fr. Waters' reason behind why we, as humans, should go to church.