Divine Mercy is–

Life-changing. Profound.

Dynamic.

Beautiful. Powerful. I am a pilgrim of mercy.

Do your doubts unsettle you or do you see them as an invitation to grow? Doubts are a natural component of our spiritual journey. When doubts arise in your heart, don't see them as failures or threats to your faith. See them as opportunities to grow in faith. Faith and doubt go hand in hand, and often, the greater the faith, the greater the doubts. Our doubts can be a great antagonist in our faith story. This antagonist often draws us into a deeper experience of faith as long as we remain in pursuit of truth and don't begin to pursue an excuse. The most famous doubter in history, of course, Thomas.

Poor Thomas, he might have just been having a bad day. Yet this one situation has defined him throughout history as the great doubter, referred to as doubting Thomas more often than as St. Thomas. Do anything else about Thomas? Many people know only that Jesus appeared to his disciples when Thomas was out running errands and Thomas didn't believe them. The stunning example in our own times is that of Mother Teresa. Declared by many a saint during her lifetime and by the church less than 20 years after her death, she was a light of faith and hope in the world to so many.

Yet after her death, her private papers revealed that she had suffered from incredible doubt. And for long periods of her life, she felt that God was absent. Using words like darkness, dryness, torture, and loneliness. She wrote about the spiritual agony she often experienced, comparing it to hell and revealing that at one time her doubts were so great that she even questioned the existence of God. These were astonishing but important revelations. Too often, we have left these types of things out when telling the stories of the saints. This, of course, is a massive disservice to ordinary people like you and me struggling to live our faith each day amid our doubts and limitations.

Authentic faith is going to have to wrestle with doubt from time to time. It's important not to lose sight of the fact that this is natural, normal, and healthy. Thomas was skeptical, but he was open to the truth. Some people use their doubts to lead them to answers. Others use their doubts as an excuse to opt out of humanity's epic search for truth. Blaise Pascal wrote, "In faith, there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't." It is natural to have doubts, but we have a responsibility to seek out the truth that will assuage our doubts.

Seeking answers to our personal questions and wrestling with our doubts helps us to build a more robust faith. The second spiritual work of mercy, counsel the doubtful, involves helping other people to work through their doubts. Doubts are flawed because they can never be fully satisfied. They demand proof, but they question any proof that is offered. There is no proof, evidence, or answer that will satisfy some doubts. There would be no need for faith if proof was available. Healthy faith asks questions. The important thing is to stay focused on your search for truth. Examine your motives. Are you looking for answers or are you looking for an excuse not to believe? The former will grow your faith; the latter will destroy it. Investigate your doubts by all means, but do it with a hunger for truth. I'll be the first to admit that I have doubts from time to time. Some pass away in a day, others cling to my mind and heart for long stretches. It's these longer-lasting doubts that challenge my perspective and invite me to grow in trust. What are your doubts? How might God be inviting you to trust Him more because of those doubts, not in spite of them?

We all need people in our lives we can trust to give us wise advice, to provide a new perspective, to encourage us to find the way forward when we are lost, and to counsel us in our doubts. You need this, and everyone in your life, your children, your spouse, your friends, your family have this need too. Counsel the doubtful. This work of mercy asks us to meet people where they are in their doubt with compassion and patience. It's a call to help them see their doubts as an invitation to greater faith. The definition of counsel is to advise or to recommend a course of action. Yet far too often, our impulse is to judge or even rebuke those who reveal their doubts.

There're three fundamental shifts we can all make that will empower us to effectively counsel the doubtful. The first is to get comfortable with uncertainty. In matters of faith, certainty is a myth. One of the essential requirements of faith is the absence of certainty. If you can be certain, there is no need for faith. And yet, the demand for proof and certainty has become one of the idols of our age, an idol that has separated millions from God. The more comfortable we become with uncertainty in our own lives, the more capable we are of helping others make peace with uncertainty in their lives. This is essential to counselling others in their doubts.

The second crucial shift is to banish judgment from our hearts. This begins with avoiding the poison of judging yourself. Don't judge your doubts. Remember, great faith and great doubt go hand in hand. Even the saints were plagued by doubt at times. It's what they did with their doubts that made all the difference. Learn to see your doubts as an invitation to greater faith, and you will be far less inclined to judge others for their doubts. Instead, you'll be equipped to help them see their doubts as an invitation to grow in their faith. Counseling the doubtful is a powerful act of mercy. Some people may resist your efforts, but keep in mind, mercy is always and the invitation to a better life. The third fundamental shift is from self-reliance, to asking God to do what only God can do. Yes, we should study the Scriptures, read great books about the faith, and immerse ourselves in spiritual practices. And still, it is vital that we keep in mind, that faith is a gift. Faith, hope, and charity, the three theological virtues, are infused in our souls by God. Only God can give us faith, so let us ask Him for it. Counseling the doubtful also involves teaching people to pray for faith. I offer you this prayer, as a way to practically accompany your doubts. When your heart is troubled by doubts, pray this short prayer over and over throughout the day. "Lord, increase my faith. Lord, increase my faith." Pray this prayer, dozens of times a day. "Trust, surrender, believe, receive."

There is a multi-generational problem, in the church, that deserves our urgent attention. It seems the growing consensus, among Catholics, is that mass is boring, and that it isn't relevant to modern life. Nothing could be further from the truth. And this year, we want to change that mistaken perception, forever. Dynamic Catholic is developing a world-class program that will teach Catholics, young and old, about the genius of the mass and show them exactly how it applies to their daily lives. I hope this stirs your soul. I hope you want to be a part of it. So click the button below, choose your welcome gift, become a Dynamic Catholic Ambassador today. We had so much fun creating these new welcome gifts for you. I hope you enjoy them. Have a great day. And remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.

Eternal God–

–in whom mercy is endless.

And the treasury of compassion inexhaustible.

Look kindly upon us.

And increase your mercy in us.

That in difficult moments–

–we might not despair–

–nor become despondent.

But with great confidence–

–submit ourselves to Your holy will–

–which is love and mercy itself.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

See you tomorrow.

Thank you, Ambassadors.

You are changing the world.

Have a great day.

Have a great day.

Have a great day!

Hey, Isabel. One of the best ways, to be a pilgrim of mercy, is to collaborate with God, to create holy moments. So I figured, while we have a couple of minutes, you could inspire the audience, to create some holy moments. So what is today's Holy Moment Challenge?

Let's find out. Today's Holy Moments Challenge is: Spend some time researching a question you have about the faith.