In the garden, the serpent tempts Eve, and through her, Adam, inviting them to doubt God’s word. This is the original doubt that leads to the original sin (cf. Genesis 3:1-6). This doubt is heard again and again throughout history. We hear its echo in the lament of Zion: ‘The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me’ (Isaiah 49:14). Furthermore, in our own experiences of trial and anxiety, we are forced to contend with its gnawing presence, which, if left unconquered, can diminish the light of faith and hope within us.

During this season of Lent, let us remember the mighty acts of love that God has already worked for us, and so grow in confidence and trust. Isaiah reminds us that God’s love exceeds even that of a mother’s. Even if she could forget her child, God cannot forget us, nor will he fail to have compassion on us. (Isaiah 49:15).

Our ultimate assurance, however, is found by contemplating the person of Christ. He reveals the Father’s unbreakable love for us. He is the one who makes visible to us ‘whatever the Father does’ (John 5:20). Through Christ, the unknowable intention of God becomes concrete and observable, for in him we see the fullness of the Father’s love, expressed in our own flesh and blood.

How can I know God loves me? How can I trust in him? I look to what Christ has already done for me, and this fills me with confidence. When that original doubt surfaces in my heart, I reject the tempter’s lie. I recall Christ’s promise: the one who believes in the word of God has eternal life already. Thus, I too, pass from the death of doubt to the fullness of life.

by Fr Michael Grace