Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Homily by Fr. Andriy Mykytyuk on the Second Sunday after Easter
April 26, 2025
Today, I wish all of us to follow the example of the Apostle Thomas, and despite our hesitations, despite our questions, we will eventually see the risen Christ who stands between us. He does not run away; he does not go somewhere, but he comes to us through a locked door to give us his peace.
Christ is risen!
Beloved, a week has already passed since the Holy Resurrection of the Lord, the feast of our faith. But we are still in it. And this Sunday we read the passage about, as we say in the people, the Doubting Thomas. But this passage testifies to us again to the Resurrection of Christ. It is interesting how it ends.
The evangelist John writes that these miracles are written down so that we who hear them and who read them may believe and have eternal life. You know, for some reason this passage also resonates with the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Because when the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to his house, Abraham said very simple words. He said, “They have the law and the prophets. If they do not listen to them, then no matter who comes to them from the dead, they will not believe.” Today we have the greatest thing, because Christ is risen. He came to us; he is the fulfilment of the law and the prophets.
But sometimes we, like Thomas, do not believe. We look for some kind of proof; we look for some kind of justification. On the one hand, this is good, because we can have doubts. But on the other hand, we have to follow the example of Thomas, because in the end he did not lose faith. He did not turn away from Christ. But he said the most important words for our lives. He said, “My Lord and my God.”
I think these words should be heard on the lips of each of us. Because each of us who have been “baptised into Christ, put on Christ,” after meeting the risen Christ, should say the same words: “My Lord and my God.” And then you will see how our lives will change when we recognise Christ as our Saviour. Not a distant God who lives somewhere in heaven. He is not just a man who lived 2000 years ago, but our Saviour. But our Saviour. My Lord, who came into this world, became one of us, died on a cross, and rose again to give me and you eternal life.
Then our lives will change. Then this peace that Christ gives to the apostles, he gives to us. Not our peace. Not the world’s peace. Not the one that passes away, that can be taken away, that can be disturbed. But his peace. The peace that is characteristic of the Kingdom of Heaven. The peace of the Lord that never passes away. Which, despite the storms of our lives, calms us inside. Because we know, believe, and hope that everything will be fine with God. That we will get through this storm, through disagreements, war, and fears, to something bigger and better that God has revealed to us.
Today, I wish all of us to follow the example of the Apostle Thomas, and despite our hesitations, despite our questions, we will eventually see the risen Christ who stands between us. He does not run away; he does not go somewhere, but he comes to us through a locked door to give us his peace. And when we see him, so that we can all say together, “My Lord and my God.”
Christ is risen!
