April 27, 2022
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily on the 2nd Sunday of Easter (Year C) on April 24, 2022, at St. Austin Catholic Parish in Austin, TX. The homily is based on the day’s readings: Acts 5:12-16; Psalm 118; Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; and John 20:19-31.
We celebrate the great feast of Easter for 50 days, and we treat these first 8 days of the season as if it were still Easter Sunday itself.
Every year on this second Sunday of Easter, we focus on the story of Thomas the apostle. This is an extremely important passage. I frequently cite it when counseling people who have questions about their beliefs.
But before we hear today’s Scripture passages, let us first celebrate that our God is a God of love. No matter how much distance we feel, God is eager to embrace us with the gifts of divine forgiveness and divine mercy.
The Gospel of John tells of several disciples who do not initially understand that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. Mary of Magdala recognizes the risen Jesus only when he calls her by name. Despite whatever Peter and the beloved disciple see at the tomb, and despite Mary’s testimony, the apostles still lock themselves in the Upper Room.
It bothers me that many people call Thomas “Doubting Thomas.” He doesn’t behave any differently than Mary, Peter, the beloved disciple, and the other apostles: just like them, he does not believe until he sees. As I have often preached and as I have repeatedly counseled people, Thomas shows that it can be OK to question even the most central tenets of our faith. God has never shied away from anyone’s scrutiny, nor from answering us again with specifics when we ask.
But four years ago, I received a long, passionate, and well-researched letter from a former parishioner, begging me to reconsider a homily that I had preached about St. Thomas. In it, I said that doubt was not a sin. My friend cited two passages that made me especially uncomfortable concerning my homily. First, from the Letter of James: “The one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways” (1:6-8). And second, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “There are various ways of sinning against faith: Voluntary doubt about the faith disregards or refuses to hold as true what God has revealed and the Church proposes for belief. Involuntary doubt refers to hesitation in believing, difficulty in overcoming objections connected with the faith, or also anxiety aroused by its obscurity” (#2088).
The definition of involuntary doubt, in particular, troubled me. I encounter countless people who hesitate to believe specific Church teachings, who struggle to overcome objections, whose anxiety is aroused over relatively obscure details. Are they sinning? As I have journeyed with them, I have cited Thomas as a source of hope. Thomas questioned and yet was not turned away by the apostles or by Jesus. Often, when we’re given enough time and we’re encouraged to ponder honestly, we work through our questions, our struggles, and our anxieties to come to a deeper, more robust faith. Once Thomas saw the same evidence as the others had seen the week before, he came to resolute belief.
My friend explained that his concerns about my homily were primarily about my word choice. He wrote, “If you were to only stop using the word ‘doubts’ and change it to ‘struggles,’ ‘difficulties,’ or ‘questions,’ then I believe this to be a very good sermon. I would suggest a quote from John Henry Cardinal Newman to exemplify the distinction ‘Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt.’”
Well, after wrestling with my friend’s concerns for a long time, and after fervently praying for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, here is what I have decided. Clearly, my brave and caring Christian friend who cautioned me so strongly has a point: many writings in the Christian tradition call “doubt” a source of instability, a sin, or even a heresy. But on the other hand, many of the good and holy people worried that they are bad Christians don’t use the word “questioning” to describe their uncertainties; they use the word “doubting.”
In our language today, the word “doubt” covers many types of questioning. Most of us use the word to mean something different from what the Catechism, the saints, and some contemporary theologians are talking about. Whatever word we use – doubting, questioning, hesitating, difficulties, skepticism, uncertainty, or anxiety – these only become sins when they cause us to give up completely on “belief” and move wholly into a separate category called “unbelief.” That kind of questioning, instead of helping us find answers, becomes a kind of waffling that seeks to avoid commitment.
I believe that no one comes to a mature faith without first questioning even some of our most fundamental beliefs. All too often, people in the Church give us the easy answers we want, rather than helping us wrestle with the fundamental truths we need. God has placed the Holy Spirit deep within our hearts, prompting us forward even when we don’t know what to say or do. So, here’s my advice: let us go ahead and question our faith… as long as we keep having face-to-face relationships with other people of faith as Thomas did. Keep talking with God, even if you’re not sure God’s there. Keep coming to Church, even if you’re not sure you agree with everything professed. Keep making appointments with religious professionals, especially if you think that we won’t give you easy answers. If you don’t feel safe coming back to in-person Masses or meetings yet, set up a video chat with someone you trust.
In my opinion, doubt becomes a sin only when it leads to isolation. If we are not resolving difficulties together, then we have a problem. If we only look for answers on the internet, or if we only discuss our questions with people who don’t believe, then I think we’re getting into the territory that the Scriptures, the Catechism, and the saints cautioned against. As long as our discomfort is prompted by the Holy Spirit, and as long as the Holy Spirit keeps us in regular contact with other members of the Body of Christ, I think we’re going to be fine.
I’ll conclude with a prayer for anyone going through a time of questioning.
A Prayer In Times of Questioning
by Richard R. Andre, C. S. P.Loving God and Creator, you invite me into an ever-deepening
relationship with you.
In other words, you invite me to have faith in you.
When I have questions – or doubts – about my faith,
give me the energy and curiosity to pursue my questions.
If I ask, give me insight.
If I seek, help me to find.
If I knock, open the door to me.
Through the Holy Spirit, I have received knowledge and wisdom;
Help me to trust that my questions are rooted
in the desire to grow in relationship with you
and with all other people. Amen.