The first #Tuesday of #Easter
The First Tuesday of Easter is called #Thomas. Why is that?
The first Tuesday of Easter is called Thomas because on Sunday night, after the Lord's resurrection, He appeared to the apostles in a closed house, but the apostle St. Thomas was not present. When the other apostles informed him about the resurrection of the Lord, St. Thomas said, "I will not believe unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side." The Lord said to him, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Then Thomas declared, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." This event is recorded in John 20:27-29. On this day, St. Thomas acknowledged the Lord's love and believed in the resurrection, so the Orthodox Church commemorates this day as Thomas.
The reason why our Savior allowed Thomas to touch His side and showed the crucified hands and feet to the holy apostles was to prove that He had truly risen from the dead, and that He was not a ghost or a mere apparition. The Lord showed His wounds to Thomas to convince him of the reality of His resurrection. John wrote, "We have seen it and testify to it" (John 20:24-31). When Mary Magdalene encountered the risen Lord on Easter morning, He told her not to touch Him, to teach us that women are not allowed to touch His Holy blood and precious blood, meaning that women cannot be priests because only priests can touch His Holy flesh. This is the commentary from our Church scholars.
The Spiritual Development of St. Thomas: When St. Thomas was called by the Lord, he was a follower of the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. However, after encountering the risen Lord and receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, St. Thomas became a bold witness of the resurrection and preached the Gospel in Persia and India, as recorded in church history.
May the name of the Holy God be praised forever and ever in every tongue that He has created, today and always.
May the blessings of God's mother, the virgin, and the cross be upon us. Amen.
© John's Repentance
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