 Vol. IV no 14 |
April 7, 2010 Catholic Church |
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Faith and doubt |
Faith and doubt
I have always liked the Gospel passage that is proclaimed on the Second Sunday of Easter. It tells a story about Thomas, a likeable Apostle in all respects.
Thomas was absent “the evening of the first day of the week” when Jesus appeared to his disciples and offered his greeting of peace. Overjoyed, they told Thomas what had transpired and said: “We have seen the Lord! He is alive!” Before this event, they were of the same mind as Thomas. They did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. They couldn’t even imagine the possibility.
To believe, they needed a sign that their master was actually present among them. Thomas didn’t want to be left out. He also wanted to see and to touch. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).
Eight days later, Jesus again appeared to his disciples; this time Thomas was present. He saw and believed.
This Gospel passage shows us how difficult it can be to have faith. Thomas demanded a sign. Jesus gave it to him along with this timeless phrase: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20:29).
We are among those who believe without having seen, but it is not always easy to remain steadfast in faith. Sometimes we, too, want to see a sign to dispel or to overcome the doubts that arise in our minds: “Is all this true? Is everything that the Gospel says about Jesus’ resurrection really true? Is every part of the message that Jesus gave during his earthly life entirely accurate? Is it also true that we, too, will experience the resurrection one day?”
We might experience only passing doubts. But some doubts might persist for days, months, even years. Many saints have known this dark night of the soul. They were able to overcome these periods of doubt and interior suffering without losing their faith, which is a gift from God. Once God gives us a gift, he never takes it back.
During this Easter Season, while continuously giving thanks to God for the gift of faith, shouldn’t we also meditate on these complementary Gospel passages: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John, 20:29) and “[Lord] ‘Increase our faith’ ” (Luke 17:5).
† Jean-Claude Turcotte
Archbishop of Montréal
Special Eucharistic Celebration
in honour of the deceased priests
presided at by Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte
May 18, 2010 at 12:00 p.m. (noon)
at Mary-Queen of the World Cathedral
