As far as popular comedian and talk show host Stephen Colbert is concerned, the main purpose of his life is to "know God, love God, serve God," and he credits his strong Catholic background for helping develop his character.

During a recent interview with GQ magazine, the 51-year-old host of the CBS program "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" revealed that his parents and 10 siblings are all Catholics, and they have been taught earlier on to give thanks to everything that comes into their lives, including suffering.

So when his father and two brothers lost their lives in a plane crash when he was just 10 years old, Colbert had to rely on his faith in order to overcome that ordeal. He reflected on a quote written by "Lord of the Rings" author J. R. R. Tolkien: "What punishments of God are not gifts?"

"And so that act, that impulse to be grateful, wants an object. That object I call God. Now, that could be many things. I was raised in a Catholic tradition. I'll start there. That's my context for my existence, is that I am here to know God, love God, serve God, that we might be happy with each other in this world and with Him in the next—the catechism. That makes a lot of sense to me," he said.

"It would be ungrateful not to take everything with gratitude. It doesn't mean you want it. I can hold both of those ideas in my head,'" he added.

Colbert thanks his mother for setting a good example to him. If not for her, then he would probably have viewed and reacted to their family's tragedy in a different light. "I was left alone a lot after Dad and the boys died... And it was just me and Mom for a long time," he said. "And by her example am I not bitter. By her example she was not. Broken, yes. Bitter, no."