John 1:29-34 Jan 18-26 Where does doubt fit in my spirituality?

The lesson for us is not to get alarmed if we have periods of doubt or question aspects of our faith.  As pointed out, these are signs of an adult faith.  I invite you to see doubts as an invitation to explore, to be curious, to question and be motivated to resolve the doubt.  The sad part is that so many people just hold the tension and do little or nothing with their doubts.  Some people are worried that their faith is weak and are reluctant to do anything or seek help.  This is probably the worst possible choice.  Check out the podcast about Disbelieving Thomas published on March 31, 2024.  St. Thomas and his doubt experience can provide insight into understanding those periods of doubt in our own faith journey.  John the Baptist’s faith life will be a source of spiritual hope for you.

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Transcript

Hello, and thank you for joining me on “A Psychologist Looks at Scripture.” I am Peter Doherty—a Catholic priest and psychologist—and I am pleased you can join me.

In this podcast, I draw from my background in psychology and scripture studies to provide fresh insights into the Gospels. The human sciences and spirituality are more connected than people realize.  Healthy spirituality has its roots in healthy psychological functioning.  On the other hand, spirituality enriches our psychological functioning. The Gospels were written over 2000 years ago but the core teachings remain appropriate today.  The Gospels consistently invite us to deepen our faith, find new wisdom, and grow spiritually. There is always something more to discover.

Each episode runs about 7 to 10 minutes.  I know you are busy, so I keep my podcasts short and to the point.  If you have time and are interested, please check out the earlier episodes listed on the podcast website and on YouTube.  Thank you so much for being part of this journey!  Your support encourages me to keep podcasting.  Please let me know if you have questions and/or comments, they truly matter—as they help this podcast remain relevant to my listeners.

Today’s Podcasts focuses on the Gospel, John 1:29-34.  This Gospel will be announced in Churches on January 18, 2026.  

This Gospel is different from most.  While Jesus is present, he plays no part in the Gospel as the Gospel is about John the Baptist talking to his disciples explaining how he recognized Jesus as the Messiah.   He seems very confident and focussed and indicates that it was through divine intervention that he was able to recognize Jesus.  John is at the height of his ministry.  He has a following and several disciples. At one point he even had the Pharisees going out to the desert to determine if he was the Messiah. 

However, we will see a very different John described in the Gospel of Matthew 11:2-6 and in Luke 7:18-23; both these accounts  describe the event where John the Baptist, while in prison, sends two disciples to ask Jesus if He is "the one who is to come" or if they should expect someone else.  He sounds less sure of himself here, maybe even doubting his work.  To be fair the man is in prison.  He has lots of time to reflect on his life direction and wondering and trying to make sense of it all.  Sound familiar?

If John the Baptist who is described by Jesus as the greatest among those born of women in Matthew 11:11 and Luke 7:28, can experience the highs and lows of living spirituality how much more likely are we to experience the highs and lows of our own spiritual journeys.  In those low times we can be like John doubting himself, unsure of where God is in our life. 

It is important to remember that doubt arises from uncertainty, not outright unbelief, and Scripture  (James 1:5-8), encourages believers to seek wisdom without wavering, viewing unresolved doubt as instability rather than sin or something bad. Many theologians see doubt as a growth opportunity, fostering maturity when we respond to doubt with prayer, reflection, and Scripture.

This is in stark contrast with the belief that doubt is a sign of a lack of faith.  “Doubt” was seen as a failing and having doubts meant a lack of faith which in turn meant sin or a weak faith. So, indirectly, shame was heaped on anyone who struggled with doubt.  The response to doubt was to deny the doubt and hope in time it would go away.  

I propose that doubt is a result of an adult faith that tries to reconcile one’s experience with their spiritual knowledge and spiritual relationship.    A dear friend who has since died reminded me that in times of doubt it is crucial to “hold the tension”.  I did some further research on the expression and found some points that might be useful to you.

Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest, popularized the notion of "holding the tension” in his 2007 audio series entitled: "Holding the Tension: The Power of Paradox".  He recognizes that we may not always have the answers or fully understand something and there may even be conflicting details.  For example, how many people who are inspired by the biblical passage found in Matthew 7:7-9 to knock and the door shall be open have prayed for something and it didn’t happen or the belief that God is merciful when there is suffering.  It can be confusing.  In Western culture many Christians expect an answer or explanation.  While that is understandable, we need to recognize and accept that God’s ways are not always like ours.  It may seem like I am evading the issue, but God sees far more than we do.

St. Paul metaphorically addresses the aspect of knowing and unknowing in his first letter to the Corinthians 13:12 where he writes, “For now we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face.  Now I know in part but then I shall know fully.  St. Paul admits that he doesn’t fully have all the facts or answers yet, but he has the faith to stll believe.

The concept emerges in psychology as well. For example, Jungian psychology speaks of balancing of opposites.  I won’t go into detail about his theories, but I want to point out he believed that balancing opposites was essential to adult psychological growth.  For example, people can act good and bad, behave irrationally and rationally.  According to Carl Jung integrating these opposites leads to personal growth.

Embracing opposites in our spirituality also has a place in our faith life.  James Fowler, an American theologian, professor and United Methodist Minister presented a model of faith development that outlines 6 stages.  He views faith as a universal process that evolves across one’s lifespan.  I won’t go into all the stages but will look at a few that are particularly relevant.   Stage 4 describes adult faith maturity.  This stage is described as where individuals question inherited beliefs, take personal responsibility, and form a coherent worldview. Stage 5 is where the person integrates opposites, tolerates ambiguity and shows compassion universally.  Stage 6  where Fowler focusses on selfless compassion and transcending conventional norms.  Stage 6 is rare.  Do any of these stages sound famliar?  Sadly, people can get stuck at a stage; there are no guaranttees that one will progress through the stages.

The lesson for us is not to get alarmed if we have periods of doubt or question aspects of our faith.  As pointed out, these are signs of an adult faith.  I invite you to see doubts as an invitation to explore, to be curious, to question and be motivated to resolve the doubt and even learn from it.  The sad part is that so many people just hold the tension and do little or nothing with their doubts.  Some people are worried that their faith is weak and are reluctant to do anything or seek guidance.  This is probably the worst possible choice.  Check out the edition of my podcast about Disbelieving Thomas published on March 31, 2024.  St. Thomas and his doubt experience can provide insight into understanding those periods of doubt in our own faith journey.  John the Baptist’s faith life and the experience of St. Thomas can be a source of spiritual hope for you.

Thank you for joining me today.

Next Sunday, January 25, 2026, I’ll be sharing a new podcast episode from Matthew 4:12-23 , where we will read about the call of the disciples.  Jesus is begining his public ministry and he is inviting individuals to join him.

If you’re new here, I invite you to check out previous episodes on major podcast platforms or YouTube. And for my regular YouTube listeners, please consider subscribing and sharing the podcast with friends who love Scripture.  Also, I invite YouTube listeners to post in the comment section where you are from.  I appreciate knowing where my listeners are from.

New episodes come out every Sunday, focusing on the week’s Gospel. Your feedback and questions are always valued and helps our community grow.

A big thank you to Heather Patel Doherty and Richard Coulombe for their wonderful help in preparing each episode.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at peter.dohertyomi@gmail.com.

May God richly bless you!