👉🏽👉🏽👉🏽The Mystery of the #Second #Resurrection
Beloved children of the Orthodox faith, peace and grace be multiplied unto you through our Lord Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs granting life. Hearken diligently now to the sacred teaching concerning the Second Resurrection, that you may grow in knowledge, in faith, and in reverence.
The Meaning of Resurrection
"Resurrection" signifies the rising of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead a mighty victory, a wondrous mystery, and the cornerstone of our hope. The Sunday of Resurrection, celebrated during the luminous week of Pascha, is the first and great announcement of this triumph over death.
On the evening of that blessed day, when fear had shut the doors and the hearts of the Apostles trembled within them, Christ, the King of Glory, entered through the closed doors not as a ghost, not as an apparition, but in the fullness of His resurrected flesh. Standing in their midst, He said: "Peace be unto you." But behold, the Apostle Thomas was not among them at that time.
When Thomas returned and heard the good news from the other Apostles, he refused to believe, saying, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe." (John 20:25)
Thus, the merciful Savior, the Lover of mankind, who desires that none should perish but all should come to the knowledge of the truth, appeared again on the eighth day that is, on the next Sunday and manifested Himself once more to His disciples in the closed house.
The Second Resurrection: Its Holy Significance
This second appearance of the Risen Christ is called by the Church the Second Resurrection, not because Christ rose twice, but because the revelation of His resurrection was granted anew to the Apostles, and especially to Thomas, for the strengthening of their faith.
When He appeared, Christ again pronounced peace upon them and called Thomas forward. "Reach here thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach here thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing." (John 20:27)
Thomas, now convicted by the undeniable evidence, cried out in adoration and confession: "My Lord and my God!"
O blessed confession! O glorious faith! For through the doubt of Thomas, our faith has been confirmed. Through his hand that touched the Lord’s sacred wounds, the Church has received a deeper testimony of the reality of the Resurrection.
Thus the Second Resurrection is celebrated with great solemnity, as the day when faith was sealed, doubt was vanquished, and the peace of Christ was renewed among the faithful.
Why Did Christ Appear a Second Time?
The Lord, in His immeasurable compassion, appeared a second time for several divine purposes:
1. To Convince Thomas
Thomas, who had struggled with unbelief, was of the sect of the Sadducees in background those who denied the resurrection of the dead. Therefore, Christ, knowing the infirmity of his heart, stooped to his weakness and allowed him to see and touch His glorified wounds. And through this act, Thomas, who once said "I will not believe," became the herald of the Resurrection and the apostle to India, where he labored unto martyrdom. To this day, it is said, the hand that touched the side of Christ is venerated among the faithful.
2. To Honor the True Sabbath
In the Old Covenant, the Sabbath the seventh day was hallowed as the day of God's rest after the creation of the world. In the New Covenant, Sunday, the day of the Lord's Resurrection, has become our true Sabbath, the day of spiritual labor and joy.
Continues 👇🏽