The Darkness of Doubt

April 7, 2025 // Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent // Optional Memorial of Saint John Baptist de la Salle, Priest

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 8:12-20

Reflect on the Word //

I felt the darkness envelop me as I glanced down at our monthly insurance bill. Though it had been two months since my husband stepped away from his full-time job in order to start his business, we had felt this call from the Lord in our hearts for years prior, a prompting that we finally had the courage to listen to. Still, the doubts began to plague me—how could we pay this each month? Would the finances come?

I took these questions with me into the night, tossing and turning in the darkness while they coursed through my anxious mind. They were unrelenting and crippled any trust I had built. Like the Pharisees in today’s Gospel, my doubt had clouded the truth that God had spoken deep within me. 

Jesus explicitly reveals a truth about Himself to the Pharisees, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Still, the Pharisees doubt Him by saying, “You testify on your own behalf, so your testimony cannot be verified” (John 8:13). 

It is so easy to doubt in the face of uncertainty, even when the truth has been explicitly stated—as it was for the Pharisees in the Gospel today. We fall for the lie that everything is dependent on us, that we are alone, that God is not Who He says He is. In our lack of relationship with Him, we are led into the darkness of doubt. 

I wonder what truths about God you are doubting in your own life, dear sister. What whispers has He spoken to your heart that you do not trust? It is easy to find yourself lost in the darkness of doubt, but He is the light. He will illuminate the way. We must only listen and trust. 

Relate to the Lord // Whose voice are you listening to? Listen for words of Truth and Light today.