The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
There is a convicting phrase in today’s familiar Gospel story of the Great Commission that I had never noticed before. The 11 disciples all approached a mountain where Jesus had told them He would appear: “When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.”
They worshiped, but they doubted.
Think of everything the disciples had been through with the Lord by this point: countless miracles occurred in front of their eyes, timeless wisdom and teachings passed from Christ’s lips, so many ancient prophecies were fulfilled, and Jesus rising from the dead just as He had foretold. But they doubted.
Can’t we relate? We live in what is quickly becoming a golden age of skepticism. As technology advances and consumes, we find ourselves more frequently questioning the veracity of nearly everything around us. What is real? What is true? Was that photo altered? Did AI write this? Sometimes this propensity to doubt can even creep into our relationships and personal lives. Does she really love me? Why is everyone in this room smarter than me?
Neither is our faith immune to scrutiny. It is not an easy time to be Catholic; our beliefs continue to defy the rigid outline of any political ideology, and core tenets like the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist are dismissed —even by many of our fellow Catholics. The culture wants to see the receipts, and doubt is so much easier than faith.
Nevertheless, the disciples—doubtful as they might have been at times—went on to build up Christ’s Church and, in some cases, died for committing themselves to the very things they had sometimes doubted. And the Great Commission is our commission, too. We are called to proclaim the Good News to the culture, encouraging those around us to embrace a peace in Christ that surpasses all understanding and transcends all doubt.
Matt Paolelli is a writer and marketing professional who lives outside of Chicago with his wife and four young children. He loves playing board games, taking family bike rides, and trying to learn the guitar. Read more of his writing in his Amusing Catholic newsletter.