In Our Doubting
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Such a hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5
Doubt and uncertainty are natural and often essential human experiences if we wish to grow spiritually. Author and theologian Dan Horan writes, “Doubt is an important part of faith because belief does not rest in scientific fact or philosophical certitude. To doubt is to take seriously what one believes or is asked to believe.”
He continues: “Real faith is dynamic and ongoing—at times shaky, at other times seemingly clear. It is grounded in humility and stabilized not by absolute certainty but by the promise of God’s presence as grace in our lives and in the world. The opposite of faith is not doubt but fear…fear fuels division and violence, impedes trust and belief, and diminishes hope.”
Rather than living in fear or demanding certainty, perhaps Wisdom invites us to let go of assumptions and judgments, rigid ways of thinking or acting, behaviors that dismiss others’ beliefs, and our failure to see God in everyone and everything.
Horan, D. P. (2024). Fear and Faith: Hope and Wholeness in a Fractured World [Kindle edition]. Retrieved from Amazon.com
Let Us Pray
God of Doubters,
Help us to be curious so that we may strengthen our confidence in Your goodness. Help us to welcome our doubts and the doubts of others as Jesus patiently welcomed the doubts of St. Thomas. Open our hearts and minds to the gift of love You have poured out through the Holy Spirit. Amen
Reflection Questions / Practices
- Without self-judgment, explore any assumptions or judgments you carry about people, groups, or communities close to you. Where may these assumptions or judgements come from—past experiences, fear, habit, cultural messages, or unmet needs?
- Consider how respectful, open-hearted curiosity, compassion, and reverence for the “other” might replace snap judgments or assumptions about their intentions.
Call Out Quote
Beatitudes of Doubters by Brian McClaren
Blessed are the curious, for their curiosity honors reality.
Blessed are the uncertain and those with second thoughts, for their minds are still open. Blessed are the wonderers, for they shall find what is wonderful.
Blessed are those who question their answers, for their horizons will expand forever.
Blessed are those who often feel foolish, for they are wiser than those who always think themselves wise.
Blessed are those who are scolded, suspected, and labeled as heretics by the gatekeepers, for the prophets and mystics were treated in the same way by the gatekeepers of their day.
Blessed are those who know their unknowing, for they shall have the last laugh.
Blessed are the perplexed, for they have reached the frontiers of contemplation.
Blessed are they who become cynical about their cynicism and suspicious of their suspicion, for they will enter the second innocence.
Blessed are the doubters, for they shall see through false gods.
Blessed are the lovers, for they shall see God everywhere.
From Faith After Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working And What to Do About It, ©2021;
St. Martin Press, New York, NY