Sermon for St Thomas Sunday
Christ is risen! Christos anesti! (Χριστὸς ἀνέστη!)
My dear brothers and sisters,
it has been eight days since our joyful Easter celebration. The tomb is empty, and the light of the Resurrection is still shining brightly in our parish. Today, on this first Sunday after Easter, we remember the Apostle Thomas.
In the Gospel today, we hear that on Easter evening, the disciples were gathered behind locked doors out of fear. Yet, the resurrected Jesus appeared to them. He came to them in His transfigured, glorified body—a body that could pass right through those closed doors! This reveals a profound truth to us, for if we are deemed worthy, this is how our own resurrected bodies will be in the Kingdom of Heaven. He stood right there in the room with them and brought them peace. But Thomas was not there. When the others told him they had seen the Lord, Thomas just couldn't believe it. He said he needed to see the nail marks and touch Jesus' side to know it was real.
People often call him "Doubting Thomas," but that isn't really fair. Thomas loved the Lord. He just wanted the exact same experience the other disciples had. And the amazing thing is, Jesus didn't turn him away for asking. Eight days later, Jesus appears again and tells Thomas to touch His wounds. Thomas then makes the greatest statement of faith: "My Lord and my God!"
But let's think about why Thomas missed out the first time. He missed seeing Jesus on Easter evening because he was not with the others. For whatever reason, he was away from the community. It was only when he came back to the group, when he was with the rest of the Church, that he finally met the risen Christ. This is a huge lesson for us today. We are not meant to be Christians all on our own. When we stay away from the Church, or try to live our faith entirely by ourselves, we miss out in the Holy Gifts, in the worship, the teachings of the Church, in being with others who are searching to get closer to God.
Jesus told Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." He was talking about us! We can't touch the physical wounds of Christ like Thomas did. But we have an encounter that is just as real. Every time we come to the Divine Liturgy and receive Communion, we are touching and receiving the true body and blood of our Saviour. This is the spiritual food we need to heal our souls and to come closer to God.
So, please, do not try to live your faith all by yourself. Stay close to your parish family. We need you here, and you need the Church. The joy of Easter didn't end last Sunday. Let's keep gathering together every week to share this heavenly bread, to support each other, and to declare to the world just like Thomas did: My Lord and my God!
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
Christos anesti! Alithos anesti! (Χριστὸς ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!)