5/9/2020
Rating: 9.8|Votes: 4
Since the Resurrection of the Lord is the greatest and most important event and beyond all thought, it is rededicated not only once a year, but also on every "eighth" day. The first rededication of the Resurrection is this present Sunday, for it is truly both the "eighth" day and the "first." It is the eighth day after Pascha, and the first day, because it is the beginning of the other days. Again, it is called the "eighth" day because it prefigures the unending day of the future age to come, which will be truly the "first" day and a day that is not divided by a single night. This is why this Sunday is called the Antipascha, which interpreted means "in the place of Pascha."
Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky)
Rating: 7.5|Votes: 6
People say: if we had seen Him we would not have denied Him. This is not true: the majority of those who denied Him had seen Him, and they denied Him because they did not love spiritual values, and the victory over the devil spoke but little to their hearts; they desired external success.
Hieromonk Job (Gumerov)
Rating: 10|Votes: 2
The first week after Pascha is called Renewal week, or the week of Antipascha (the Greek prefix, anti, means “in place of”)—that is, the renewal of Pascha. On this Sunday, the Lord repeated and renewed for all eleven of the Apostles His appearance on the first day after the Resurrection.
Blessed Theophylact of Ochrid
Rating: 8.4|Votes: 5
The Evangelist provides the meaning of the name here to indicate that Thomas was prone to be of two minds—a doubter by nature. He doubted the news brought to him by the others, not because he thought they were liars, but because he considered it impossible for a man to rise from the dead. And his doubt made him excessively inquisitive.
Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov
Rating: 10|Votes: 6
Although from the very early morning on the day of the resurrection the good news of the resurrection was carried throughout creation, and even though angels from heaven (Mark 16:6) and holy myrrhbearers on earth (Luke 24:9) and even the guards at the Sanhedrin (Matthew 28:11) had already told of the miracle, the apostles were still in a state of fear and doubt, hiding behind doors and locks “for the fear of the Jews” (John 20:19).
Priest Vyacheslav Sinelnikov
A question stands before us: which kind are we? Do we talk about Christ’s Resurrection only in other people’s words? Do we really rejoice with a full heart? … Are we convinced only because other people know this and we trust them, or has this news done something to us—and knowing by experience that Christ has risen, we can no longer be the same as we were before?
Archbishop Dmitri (Royster)
Rating: 6|Votes: 2
The following is a brief reflection on the Gospel reading for the Sunday after Pascha, John 20:19-31
Fr. Seraphim Holland
Rating: 3.6|Votes: 21
Fr. Seraphim Holland, rector of the St. Nicholas Church in McKinney, Texas, answers ten questions on the first Sunday after Pascha—Thomas Sunday, also known as “Antipascha.”
Igumen Pavel (Polukov)
There is a very important question of faith in today’s Gospel.
Hieromonk Kirill (Popov)
Without personal, living communion with Christ, our faith is based solely on other people’s knowledge. In effect, we do not experience our own spiritual life but cling to the experience of other people who testify that they have seen God and communicate with Him.
St. Alexei Mechev
Christ promised to be with us forever. Why then should we be afraid?
Priest Ioannis Fortomas
Peace be unto you. This peace which Jesus transfers to the Apostles is the power and operation of the Holy Spirit by which they themselves become participants and partake of the Resurrection, and through which they preach the Resurrection and proclaim the Resurrection’s encompassing power and might throughout the world.
Hieromonk Ignaty (Smirnov)
This is doubt foretelling an encounter. This is doubt foretelling absorption by Divine love, an ineffable Divine revelation that changes and transfigures human consciousness. After his encounter with the risen Lord, the Apostle Thomas no longer perceives death as the end of existence, but as the beginning of man’s continuing existence, in a new, unending life.
Hieromonk Irenei (Pikovsky)
Thomas’ disbelief was not a stubborn unwillingness to accept the evidence of eyewitnesses. It was a thirst for faith that sought support in visible evidence.
Rating: 9.1|Votes: 13
Last Sunday was dedicated to the memory of the apostle Thomas who doubted in the Resurrection of Christ. His doubt served for the glory of God. We decided to ask our pastors in which situations doubt or skepticism can be a virtue, and in which not?
St. Luke, Archbishop of Crimea
Rating: 9.6|Votes: 25
It was very, very, extremely hard for the apostles to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ had risen.
St. John Chrysostom
As to believe carelessly and in a random way, comes of an over-easy temper; so to be beyond measure curious and meddlesome, marks a most gross understanding.
Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)
Rating: 10|Votes: 3
“The fathers of the Church say that this bliss is a pledge of great blessings for us, perhaps greater than the holy apostles were accounted worthy of, but on condition that we, like the apostles, full of this blessedness, must give our entire lives to Christ, and serve His Gospel evangelism. This is the condition for felicity. Such a great gift the Lord gives us: We are more blessed in this world than the apostles.“
Fr. Philip LeMasters
Rating: 9.5|Votes: 4
The good news is that Christ does not ask us to conquer sin and death by our own power, for He has already done that. But He does ask us truly to have faith, which requires a faithful life, even as we constantly ask for His mercy and strength to participate as fully as possible in the joy of His resurrection.
Rev. Gregory Jensen
Sometimes faith is a struggle because we are so unaccustomed to joy. In this life, peace is often foreign to our experience and forgiveness rare. Sometimes, like Thomas, I doubt because of the brightness of the Divine Light.
Monk Moses of the Holy Mountain
Rating: 8.3|Votes: 4
Faith, we would say, comes with difficulty, hazard, risk and daring. This is why He blessed those who believe without tangible evidence. The strongest evidence is the confirmation of our hearts. The hard-to-believe Thomas is our brother, he is weak, but definitely sympathetic.
Fr. Ted Bobosh
Rating: 4.5|Votes: 2
The first Sunday after Pascha is dedicated to the memory of the Apostle Thomas and his particular reaction to the Gospel of the resurrection of Christ. It is a continuation of the Gospel lesson which was read at the Vespers of Pascha Sunday: John 20:19-31. The Gospel lesson for this Sunday is simply continuing a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ by dealing with the very real reactions of Christ’s own disciples to the Good News.
