“Do not be unbelieving, but believe”: on doubt, wounds, and an encounter with the Risen Christ

On Thomas Sunday at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia, Metropolitan Borys Gudziak delivered a homily reflecting on the encounter between the Apostle Thomas and the risen Christ—an encounter that reveals the depth of human doubt, fear, and the search for faith.

“We see the apostles behind closed doors. They are afraid,” the Metropolitan noted. Thomas, who was not present when Jesus first appeared, does not hide his doubt: “Unless I touch, I will not believe.” This experience is deeply human, for, as he reflected, “if we look honestly into our hearts, we all recognize that we do not fully trust in God’s love or in His providence.”

At the same time, the heart of the Gospel reveals Christ’s response: He does not reject doubt but enters into it. “I come to you… touch My wounds,” the Lord invites. In these words, the depth of God’s closeness is revealed: God becomes wounded, humbled, entering into human suffering in order to transform it. “Jesus could not come any closer,” it was emphasized, underscoring that God does not remain distant, but allows Himself to be touched in His wounds. “You carry your own wounds—your wars, your failures, your pain, your financial struggles,” was also said in the homily. It is precisely into this reality that Christ enters, inviting each person into an encounter.

The Metropolitan emphasized that faith cannot be forced: “Faith, like love, is a free response.” God does not compel, manipulate, or buy our belief, but gently invites us into a relationship rooted in freedom. For this reason, in Thomas we see not condemnation, but a path—a path of honest doubt that leads to encounter.

The culmination of this journey is Thomas’s personal confession: “My Lord and my God.” These words are born from an experience of closeness, where doubt is transformed into trust and fear into peace.

“Let us open our wounds, our fears, and our questions before the Risen Christ,” the Metropolitan urged. Christ comes again and again, saying, “Peace be with you,” calling us not to be afraid, but to live with trust, inner calm, and confidence in His presence.