The story of the Apostle Thomas, who hesitated to accept the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and who needed proof to convince himself, is well known. It is celebrated this Sunday, glorifying the victory of the risen Christ and the faith of Thomas that won over his humane insecurities.
Gospel passage
According to the Gospel passage of this Sunday, the Lord appeared to his disciples on the same day of the Resurrection. They were all gathered together, hiding from the crowd that accused them of stealing Jesus' body. Jesus appeared before them and they glorified His resurrection. However, Thomas was not with them at that time.
When he returned and they described what they had witnessed, he found it hard to believe. He asked for proof in order to be convinced; He wanted to see and touch with his own hands the wounds that Jesus had on His body.
“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe”
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Eight days later, when all the disciples, including Thomas, were together, Jesus appeared again. He asked them to make peace and called him to come closer. He challenged him to put his hand on the wounds, to see the nail marks on His hands and the spear cut in His ribs. Then He said to him:
“Do not disbelieve, but believe”
He thus asked Thomas to overcome his doubts, to show strength and not to question his faith. Astonished and repentant, Thomas exclaimed:
“My Lord and my God”
He thus confessed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in His resurrection, which is the foundation of our faith. The Gospel passage concludes with Jesus' well-known phrase:
“Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”
It goes on to say that Jesus performed many other miracles before his disciples. All these things were done and delivered to us through the scriptures, so that we put our faith in the Lord and know that it through Him that we have obtained eternal life and immortality.
The wounds of Jesus
Jesus appeared to His disciples and showed them the wounds He had received when crucified. There were five wounds pierced by the soldiers' spears on His hands, feet, and ribs. According to our tradition, these five wounds symbolize the purification of men and their cleansing from every sin. The blood that was shed at the hands of Christ cleansed the actions of men, their faults and the evil they have caused. The nails in His feet declared our return to the path of God, the path of our salvation. Finally, the pain in His ribs erased human hardness, the passions of our souls, and filled our hearts with love. Jesus' wounds remained on His body after the Resurrection as an eternal proof of His sacrifice and His love for humanity. They are symbols of His paternal providence and care.
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed
“Doubting” Thomas is a character that symbolizes each of us. The appearance of Jesus first to all the other disciples and then to him, was not a random event. Moreover, as the Gospel of the Sunday of Thomas states, all this was done so that our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ might be firmly established, and so that we might know that through Him we have gained our eternal existence. Thomas' faith was tested when the other disciples told him what they had witnessed. He needed tangible evidence to convince himself. God gave him that evidence without blaming him for his weakness, without excluding him from the miracle of Resurrection. On the contrary, He had compassion on him and generously offered him the joy of His presence, with everything he had asked for. It is emphasized, however, that although Thomas had to see in order to believe, blessed are those who will believe without even seeing. Thomas' doubts and the fact of his weakness are a great lesson for all of us. Christ remains risen and present in our lives, with all His mercy and love. He forgives our weaknesses and even our doubting Him. He returns for us. He invites us to trust Him without asking for proof, reminding us that, despite the poorness of human nature, He remains alive and makes us alive as well.
My Lord and my God
Thomas' phrase “my Lord and my God” is a confession of faith. It is his own repentance and bowing to the majesty of the Lord, to Jesus Christ who reigns the universe and raises us from corruption. The Apostle Thomas' phrase is soteriological and highlights the Christological confession that leads us to eternity, saving from mortality and from a fall into nothingness.
Apolytikion
“While the tomb was sealed, You, O Life, did shine forth from the grave, O Christ God; and while the doors were shut, You did come unto Your disciples, O Resurrection of all, renewing through them an upright Spirit in us according to Your great mercy”
Kontakion
“With his searching right hand, Thomas did probe Your life-bestowing side, O Christ God; for when You did enter while the doors were shut, he cried out unto You with the rest of the Apostles: You are my Lord and my God”
