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IF  IN  DOUBT, 

SPEAK  UP  
AND OUT  YOUR  DOUBT!  

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “If In Doubt, Speak Up And Out Your Doubt!”

Spit out. Doubt!

Today is the feast of St. Thomas - and he’s famous because of his doubt.

Hey, we don’t know too much about some of the other apostles - apostles like Barthomew, Simon the Canaanite  - [not Simon Peter], James The less, Jude, [not Judas] - also known as Thaddeus.

But we do know about Thomas - mainly because of his doubt.

And when it comes to religion, there are lots of silent doubts - unexpressed doubts - theological wonderings.  

Thomas gets sort of picked on by Jesus - for being the doubter. Then  Jesus uses him to praise those who make great acts of faith.

As we heard as the ending to today’s gospel, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

THE VALUE OF DOUBTERS

In this homily, I’m giving praise to those who doubt.

Do we have enough milk? Did anyone make sure the widows are closed?  Is the restaurant open on Monday evenings? Who’s in charge of making the reservations? 

Maybe Flint Michigan would not have  had so much lead problems with their water - if the city manager and those in charge did regular checkups.

Catholic Dioceses would have saved millions and millions of dollars if someone checked out their doubts about Father So and So.

A big benefit from the abuse problem in the Catholic Church is that parents keep a better eye on who’s trying to be with their kids. We took a horrible hit - kids getting hurt - and lots of folks not going to church because of the sins and bad example of others. Any of you who have volunteered for school and  teaching kids know you have to be certified. It’s a pain at times, but this doubt culture is protecting kids better.

In other words, having doubts can sometimes have benefits.

A FEW COMMENTS AND A FEW QUOTES

Galileo said, “Doubt is the father of discovery.”  If those in charge - of the thought police in the Catholic Church - would have had some doubts about their sureness that  Galileo was wrong, maybe we wouldn’t have been tagged as being so unscientific.

I love the saying - by someone named Francis Sayer , “Religion isn’t yours  firsthand until you doubt it right down to the ground.” Francis Sayer, Life magazine,  April 2, 1965

That fits in with Isaac Bashevis Singer’s comment, “Doubt is part of all religion.  All the religious thinkers were doubters.”

Rene Descartes wrote, “If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things”  He said that in Principles of Philosophy, 1644.

But I better add that we need also to have doubts about our doubts.  I say that because when I was looking up ideas and comments about doubts the following  statement by a John Hutchinson, in Faith, Reason and Existence, 1956, hit me, “ There is  a measure of truth in the traditional doctrine that … all doubt is at bottom a dishonest rationalization of sin.”

CONCLUSION

That brings me full circle. 

So today  we celebrate the memory and the story of Saint Thomas the Apostle - which I believe is saying, “It’s good to have faith - but we’re also allowed to have doubts - and hopefully our doubts bring us find faith - especially in the wounds of Christ and the realities of life around us.

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* Painting on top: The Incredulity of Saint Thomas [1601-1602] by Caravaggio (1571-1610)