[…] my doubts do not sum me up any more than they did Thomas. And my doubts are no reason for me not to follow Jesus. I follow Jesus not because I don’t have any doubts. I follow Jesus because in my doubt, He has always been tender with me. And when I’ve needed it badly enough, He has always given me a body to touch.
— Jonathan Martin, Prototype
It’s so easy to seek security in certainty. I guess it’s a normal thing for humans to do. The trouble is, if we’re not careful we can end up trusting in doctrine or theology rather than in the person of Jesus. I’m reminded of some wonderful words from a recent homily given by Pope Francis (emphasis added):
In ideologies there is not Jesus: in his tenderness, his love, his meekness. And ideologies are rigid, always. Of every sign: rigid. And when a Christian becomes a disciple of the ideology, he has lost the faith: he is no longer a disciple of Jesus, he is a disciple of this attitude of thought…
Lord, help me not to lean on the security of my own understanding, but in all my ways to acknowledge You and trust in Your everlasting love.
