Doubt

Cindy and I saw the film "Doubt" last night. If you don't want to know anything about the movie, skip this blog. It was an incredible movie. Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays Father Flynn, a progressive young priest in a Bronx parish in 1964. Meryl Streep plays Sister Aloysius, the nun in charge of the parish school. Suffice it to say, she is not big on the idea of change. The film opens with a sermon. "What do you do when you're not sure," Father Flynn asks. He goes on to talk about doubt, how it is human to doubt (I would have added that it is also biblical to doubt). He ends the sermon with the phrase, "Doubt is as much of a bond as certainty." This movie was so good on so many levels, I don't even know where to begin. So, I will begin with doubt. I told my wife Cindy afted the opening sermon "that'll preach" (which, I guess, is stating the obvious). But, what I meant was that the truth expressed in that brief homily was so powerful that it should be preached by every honest pastor in the church. I say honest because, if we are going to be honest with ourselves, we have to acknowledge that doubt exists in all of our hearts. And that coming together and acknowledging our doubt will ultimately make us, not only more faithful, but more compassionate, more Christ-like. By that I simply mean that certainty begets passion and commitment, very righteous virtues, to be sure. But, certainty has also begotten great cruelty (Sister Aloysius being one allegorical example). Religious certainty has led to some of the most heroic acts of compassion (e.g. the entire adult life of Mother Theresa of Calcutta, the career of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to name just a couple of the more famous examples). However, religious certainty has also led to some of the most heinous acts of human cruelty ever perpetrated (again, to name a few of the more famous examples - the Inquisition, slavery, 9/11). So what is the answer? How do we work it all out? I have know idea. But, I do know this (well, I am pretty sure, anyway). Doubt is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, it causes us to be compassionate where before we were judgmental. And, when in doubt, go with the law of love - love the Lord with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. And in case you are wondering who your neighbor is, according to the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus pushes the envelope all the way out to include your most bitter and hatred enemy.