“Saint Apostle Thomas confessed both the visible and tangible God and the invisible God. This is Thomas’ great transformation: he did not confess only the Resurrection of Christ, but also His divinity,” explained Patriarch Daniel of Romania on Sunday, at the historic chapel of St. Great Martyr George at the Patriarchal Residence.
The Patriarch emphasized that the Apostle Thomas did more than simply believe—he bore witness.
“The hymns of today’s service show that when Saint Apostle Thomas—whom some of the Holy Fathers call the Blessed Thomas—desired to know the truth of the Resurrection, he helped all future generations to be convinced of its truth.”
“Thomas had a moment of doubt, but then he did more than say ‘I believe’; he said, ‘My Lord and my God.’ He recognized that Jesus of Nazareth, though visibly human, is by nature God as a person—the Lord of life and the eternal God who grants eternal life to humanity,” the Patriarch explained.
Vision beyond the senses
Patriarch Daniel noted that Thomas touched a physical body and confessed the divinity of the One who was crucified and risen.
“Faith is a spiritual vision beyond sensory perception and physical sight. It is a way of knowing, a gift from God given to all people since the creation of humanity.”
He added that when God said, “Let us make man in our image and likeness,” He created humanity capable of communion with Him, because man bears the image of God.
“Man was created according to the image of the communion of the Holy Trinity; therefore, a mysterious plural is used—‘in our image and likeness,’ not ‘in my image and likeness,’” he noted.
Sunday: the day of encounter with the Risen Christ
The Patriarch also stressed the importance of Sunday as the day of encounter with the Risen Christ.
“This encounter is fulfilled through participation in the Body and Blood of the Lord. As Saint Cyril of Alexandria teaches, the celebration of the Holy Eucharist is the confession of Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection.”
“The reward, the fruit of living faith, is the salvation of the soul—that is, the union of the faithful person with the eternal living God,” he added.
Concluding his homily, Patriarch Daniel urged the faithful to cultivate their faith and to remain aware that all things, visible and invisible, are created by God.
Source: basilica.ro
Photo credit: Ziarul Lumina