April 12, 2026

Doubt is such a funny thing. When I think about doubt, my mind inevitably goes back to the summer of 1992—the summer between my kindergarten and first-grade school years. It was a summer full of activity. Early that summer, I spent time with my maternal grandparents in Arkansas, where I caught that 18-inch catfish I’ve talked about before. I also spent time with my paternal grandparents in the Texas Panhandle, where I became fascinated by my grandmother’s cousin, who claimed to trace our Welsh ancestry all the way back to Jamestown and King Arthur’s Court. We ended the summer with the first of many trips to Washington, D.C., where my mother attended the annual American Public Health Association conference, and my grandparents and I did some sightseeing. Later that fall, during my parents’ conference with my first-grade teacher, Mrs. Hanks expressed concern about my “attachment to reality.” She said, “Jonathan shares these tall tales about catching fish, going to Washington, D.C., and being related to a knight of the Round Table—and he really seems to believe it.” My parents replied, “The thing is, those are true stories.” Sure, the Round Table part was far-fetched, but there really was a family member who made that claim. That threw Mrs. Hanks for a loop. In her world of elementary certainties, such truths didn’t compute. I do feel bad for her, but I love that story—especially for the way doubt and uncertainty play a role in it.

These themes of doubt and uncertainty appear in our readings today. In Acts, St. Peter addresses the crowd on Pentecost. When he began speaking, some doubted—dismissing him as a Galilean or accusing him of being drunk. This passage explains how Christ’s resurrection fits into salvation history, going back to the promises God made to David. In 1 Peter, we learn what that salvation means for our lives: “He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection.” Still, I wish today’s readings paired St. Thomas’s story with St. Paul’s teaching on doubt and resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15: “If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain… If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” Even in the earliest years of the Church, there were those who doubted the resurrection. St. Paul addresses that doubt and explains why believing in resurrection is central to spiritual health and vitality.

St. Thomas is often called “Doubting Thomas,” but in the end, he is the one who most fully believes. When he proclaims, “My Lord and my God,” it’s the first time in John’s Gospel that anyone acknowledges Jesus as God. Tradition holds that Thomas became the great evangelist to the East, carrying the gospel of resurrection and new life to India and beyond. His doubt ultimately strengthened his faith—it led him to a deeper truth.

Doubt and uncertainty are natural human emotions we often undervalue. We all struggle with them in different ways. Sometimes it’s internal: Am I strong enough to carry on one more day? Am I capable of being who I want or need to be? Sometimes it’s external: Is any of this real? Is any of this ultimately good? This past week—even during Easter week—we heard words from leaders in our government that reflected a gross cynicism rooted not in resurrection and redemption, but in violence and annihilation. If that’s what represents us as a nation or as Christians, it’s no wonder people doubt and distrust what we claim to stand for.

Here’s the thing about doubt: it can be life-giving or life-destroying. When it’s life-destroying, we must, as St. Paul says, “die daily” to it. But when it’s life-giving, it helps us see through the fog and find a better way forward. Like St. Thomas, it can strengthen our faith instead of diminishing it. Even though the world feels heavy right now—even though some twist our faith into grotesque caricatures—Jesus is still risen. The power of that resurrection strengthens us as we proclaim, “My Lord and my God.”

Sometimes when we struggle, the simplest affirmations can get us through. In the words of theologian Stanley Hauerwas: “Jesus Christ is Lord, and everything else is BS.” There’s a lot of nonsense in the world that makes us doubt, but Jesus Christ is still risen. He is still Lord. He is still God. Like St. Thomas, may our doubts lead to life. And in the spirit of St. Peter’s epistle, may we prepare our minds for action, discipline our hearts, and set all our hope on the grace that Jesus Christ reveals. Amen.