April 13, 2026
Paulist Fr. Rich Andre preached this homily on the 2nd Sunday of Easter (Year A) on April 12, 2026, at Old St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Chicago, IL. The homily is based on the day’s readings: Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 118; 1 Peter 1:3-9; and John 20:19-31.
Last year, I was ecstatic when I realized that the 6th grade confirmation retreat would end with Mass for the 2nd Sunday of Easter. At last year’s confirmation retreat, I had given a talk based on the gospel passage we hear every year on this weekend. More than 8 months ago, I scheduled myself to preach tonight!
I was even more excited to learn this week that Jimmy would be confirmed and receive his First Communion at the other Mass I’m preaching this weekend. Jimmy is in OCIA, but he could not receive his sacraments at the Easter Vigil last weekend because he was sick.
The gospel readings for the Sundays of Easter are chosen to be the first lessons for our newly initiated Catholics. Every year, this weekend’s lesson focuses on Thomas the apostle. This is an extremely important passage. I frequently cite it when talking with people who have questions about their beliefs.
But before we hear today’s Scriptures, let’s 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 20th chapter of 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. No matter what Peter and the beloved disciple come to believe at the tomb, and despite Mary of Magdala’s testimony, the apostles still lock themselves in the Upper Room.
It really bothers me that Thomas is known as “Doubting Thomas.” He doesn’t behave any differently than Mary, Peter, the beloved disciple, or the other apostles: just like them, he does not believe until he sees. Whenever people question if they’re “good” Catholics, I cite this story about Thomas. He shows us that it can be OK to question even the most central tenets of our faith. Doubt is not a sin. God can withstand our scrutiny. God is OK with us asking questions about the faith.
But a few years after I began preaching that doubt is not a sin, I received a passionate, well-researched letter from a former parishioner. He begged me to reconsider what I was saying. My friend cited two passages from Church tradition that definitively said that doubt was a sin. First, from the Letter of James, and I quote: “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, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that even involuntary doubt is a sin against the faith. Since you asked, the Catechism defines involuntary doubt as, quote, “hesitation in believing, difficulty in overcoming objections connected with the faith, or also anxiety aroused by its obscurity” (#2088).
These quotations troubled me. I meet countless people who hesitate to believe specific Church teachings, who struggle to overcome objections, and whose anxiety is aroused over relatively obscure details. Are they sinning? [Pause.] Thomas questioned, but neither Jesus nor the other apostles turned him away. Often, when we’re given enough time and encouraged to ponder our dilemmas honestly, we eventually work through our questions, struggles, and anxieties and come to a deeper, more robust faith. Once Thomas saw the same evidence that the others had seen the week before, he came to a resolute belief, making the deepest statement of faith of anyone in John’s gospel: “My Lord and my God!”
[Pause.] In his letter, my friend explained that his concerns about my homily were primarily about my word choice. He wrote: “Stop using the word ‘doubts.’ … Change it to ‘struggles,’ ‘difficulties,’ or ‘questions.’”
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 discerned. Clearly, my brave and caring friend 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, the many good and holy people I’ve encountered who worry that they are bad Christians don’t use the word “questioning” to describe their uncertainties. They use the word “doubting.”
In the English language today, we use the word “doubt” to describe a variety of ways that we can question something. Most of us use the word to mean something very different from what the Letter of James and the Catechism are talking about. Whatever words 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, can lead us to a kind of comfort in never doing the hard work of trying to find an answer.
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 easy answers, rather than helping us wrestle with complicated truths. God has placed the Holy Spirit deep within our hearts, prompting us forward even when we don’t know what to say or what to do. So, here’s my advice: let us go ahead and question our faith… as long as we keep having personal relationships with other people of faith, as Thomas did. Let’s keep talking with God, even if we’re not sure that God’s there. Let’s keep coming to Church, even if we’re not sure we agree with everything we’re asked to profess. Let’s keep making appointments with pastoral ministers, especially if we think that they won’t give us easy answers. Let’s keep coming to the sacraments even when we’re questioning Church teaching. We can use the words of the man in chapter 9 of the Gospel of Mark: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
In my opinion, doubt becomes a sin only when it leads to isolation. If we are not trying to resolve our 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 veering into the territory that James and the Catechism 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.
Let’s 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 the 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.