Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Homily by Fr. Andriy Mykytyuk on Thomas Sunday
April 11, 2026
Every time we, even for what seem to be valid reasons, do not pray, do not read the Holy Scriptures, do not come to church, do not participate in communal prayer, or do not receive the sacraments that God gives us, we lose something very precious. We lose the opportunity to meet the Risen Christ.
Christ is Risen!
Beloved, this Sunday we celebrate Antipascha. It is called Antipascha not because it is opposed to Pascha, but because it is its continuation, its fulfilment. It reminds us once again of that important event which took place 2000 years ago and which continues to take place in the life of each one of us and still has an impact on it.
Every Sunday we celebrate Pascha; we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. It is the feast of feasts and the triumph of all triumphs. It is the feast of our faith, where Christ conquered sin, conquered death, opened the doors of paradise for each of us and invites us into it.
Just as He raised Adam and Eve, so He extends His hand to raise us to a new and transformed life. This Sunday, in the Gospel, we hear how Christ appeared to the disciples, but one of them was not there. He lost the opportunity to see the Risen Christ. And when the disciples told him, he said: “I do not believe.” But the next time he was with them. Christ turned to him and said, “Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
Looking at our own lives, we are probably like the Apostle Thomas, with our own concerns. And often on Sunday, on the Lord’s Day, we choose to do something else. But we must remember that when we choose something else, we may miss something truly important. Thomas missed the encounter with the Risen Christ because he was not present with the gathered community.
Every time we, even for what seem to be valid reasons, do not pray, do not read the Holy Scriptures, do not come to church, do not participate in communal prayer, or do not receive the sacraments that God gives us, we lose something very precious. We lose the opportunity to meet the Risen Christ.
But Christ does not stop there. He seeks opportunities to meet us. He comes through the closed doors of our hearts and says, “Peace be with you.” Not the kind of peace that passes away. We see that in this world it is difficult to achieve peace. Any agreements disappear even before they begin. There are wars, disagreements, and conflicts. People want peace but cannot find it. And here Christ comes, knocks, enters our hearts, and says, “Peace be with you.” And it depends on us whether we wish to accept this peace, which never fades, and to live by it every moment of our lives, or whether we remain preoccupied, searching for something else.
Thomas is a valuable witness for us. For although he missed it once, when he saw Christ, he did not turn away, did not flee, and never doubted again but spoke the words that are so important for each of our lives: “My Lord and my God.”
Therefore, as we celebrate the Resurrection and continue this celebration in Antipascha, may we all be able to repeat those same words to God: “My Lord and my God.” And may they not be merely words, but may they become our lives. May our words, our actions, and our thoughts bear witness to who is our Lord and who is our God. And then peace will reign not only in our lives but also around us. Then God will grant us the strength to make this world better. For we know that He has conquered sin and conquered death and gives us life. Therefore, let us live this life in its fullness.
Christ is Risen!
