Each one of us is sent forth from our parish church to the world to be witnesses to Jesus’ love.

Faith requires perseverance. It often grows in stages. Sometimes we fall. Sometimes we walk away. So often, we must crawl. Whether we consciously admit to it or not, our faith—our life in Christ—has sustained us throughout the ups and downs of our lives. It has sustained us in moments of new life and in death, at times of sickness, and at those times when we struggle to give meaning to painful situations.

Traditionally, he is called “Doubting Thomas.” Yet doubt is a wound that each of us shares. It is not necessarily a fatal wound, nor is it a flat-out rejection of our faith. I can picture myself that evening having a similar doubt. Maybe you can as well. We certainly have experienced doubt in our efforts to explain the faith to others. Sometimes we are rejected. More often, we have to unveil the beauty of our faith over time and with utmost patience.