Saturday, April 18, 2026

THE PARAGON April 6/19 ns 2026 † 2nd SUNDAY OF PASCHA (THE HOLY APOSTLE THOMAS) • St. Evtychios, Patriarch of Constantinople; St. Gregory the Sinaite ~1st Matins Gospel: St. Matt. 28:16-20 Acts 5:12-20 (2nd Sunday of Acts); St. John 20:19-31

2nd S U N D A Y OF P A S C H A
T H E H O L Y A P O S T L E
T H O M A S

April 6/19 ns 2026

• St. Evtychios, Patriarch of Constantinople;
• St. Gregory the Sinaite

Thomas was one of the Twelve Apostles. Through his doubt in the Resurrection of Christ the Lord, a new proof was given of that wonderful and saving event. The resurrected Lord appeared to His disciples a second time, in order to convince Thomas.

The Lord said to Thomas: Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas replied: My Lord and my God (St. John 20:27-28).

After the descent of the Holy Spirit, when the apostles cast lots to see where they would each go to preach, the lot fell to Thomas to go to India. He was a little saddened that he had to go so far away, but the Lord appeared to him and encouraged him. In India, St. Thomas converted many, both aristocrats and poor, to the Christian Faith, and established the Church there, appointing priests and bishops.
Among others, Thomas converted two sisters to the Faith-Tertiana and Migdonia-both wives of Indian princes. Because of their faith, both sisters were ill-treated by their husbands, with whom they no longer wanted to live after their baptism. Eventually, they were allowed to go. Being freed of marriage, they lived God-pleasing lives until their repose. Dionysius and Pelagia were betrothed, but when they heard the apostolic preaching they did not marry, but devoted themselves to the ascetic life. Pelagia ended her life as a martyr for the Faith, and Dionysius was ordained a bishop by the apostle. Prince Mazdai, Tertiana's husband, whose son, Azan, was also baptized by Thomas, condemned the apostle to death. Mazdai sent five soldiers to kill Thomas. They ran him through with their five spears, and thus the Holy Apostle Thomas rendered his soul into the hands of Christ.

Before his death, he and the other apostles were miraculously brought to Jerusalem for the burial of the Most-holy Theotokos. Arriving too late, he wept bitterly, and the tomb of the Holy Most-pure One was opened at his request. The Theotokos' body was not found in the tomb: the Lord had taken His Mother to His heavenly habitation. Thus, in his tardiness St. Thomas revealed to us the wondrous glorification of the Mother of God, just as he had once confirmed faith in the Resurrection of the Lord by his unbelief.

KECHARITOMENE

'FULL OF GRACE'

Orthros Saint Matthew 28:16-20 KJV

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Acts 5:12-20 KJV

12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.

13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.

14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

17 Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

18 And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.

19 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,

20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

Saint John 20:19-31 KJV

19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall 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.

26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

BEHAVIOR IN ACCORDANCE TO

ONE'S CALLING

Saint Nikolai Velimirovich

"… that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering"
(Ephesians 4:1-2).

Be not proud, be not angry, be not faint-hearted; for these are unworthy of a Christian calling.
This calling is so elevated and wonderful that it is difficult for a man to safeguard himself from pride; yet it is difficult to keep oneself above faint-heartedness when dangers and losses occur. Against these three unhealthy states, the Apostle emphasizes three healthy states: against pride, lowliness; against anger, meekness; against faint-heartedness, longsuffering.

It must be said that these three virtues—lowliness, meekness and longsuffering—do not express in full measure the loftiness of the Christian calling. But then, nothing in this world can fully express the height of the Christian calling.

The preciousness and richness of this calling cannot be seen here on earth: it is like a closed chest that a man carries through this world, but only opens it and avails himself of its riches in the other world. Only someone who could raise himself to the highest heavens and see Christ the Lord in glory with the angels and the saints could assess the loftiness of the Christian calling; for there is the victorious assembly of all God’s chosen ones from earth who were made worthy of this exceedingly high honor.

O Lord Jesus Christ our God, Thy name is the name most dear to us.

God resisteth the proud,

but giveth grace unto the humble.

St. James 4:6

Without question this child is beautiful,

more beautiful than her purity?

Adam was in ceaselessly in communion with God

but having been given free will, he chose to use

it to disobey his Creator's one, single instruction and

in doing so became prideful, which alienated him

since God is meek and lowly.

So, many are and remain almost

alienated through pride

even if only to the slightest degree. {Ed.}

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
PSALM 51:5

Lord, grant me tears, remembrance of death,

and compunction.

A N E D O T E

ARE YOU EAGER FOR THE RIGHT THING?

Or now are we back to the "same old" since the Great Fast has ended?
Are you eager to have this or that, to go here and there, eager for anything in Creation and all while minimally attentive that the Creator of all things wants all of your being, all of your heart?

You can indeed gain much from this mortal, temporary life but you will lose Jesus Christ Who is Paradise without end. There WILL be those who will hear: "I never knew you?" In other words, they never knew "Him".

Ask yourself: Do you believe Him when He says that all of the hairs of your head are numbered? Do you believe He knew every thought you would have before He made you? Can a disfigured mind, a mind that is blind to the Oneness of all things, begin to grasp such a God?

Ask yourself, did He make this life a desert, void of joy etc.? No! but is He not clear about what He expects from us in return? But, do you lack eagerness for Him like those who live in a fantasy thinking subconsciously that they will live forever, or at least live in that fashion by consuming all you can without little to no thought about your judgement date; a date of which you have no say, other than by self termination, which is forbidden.

And lets ask ourselves: How hard was it for God to incarnate? How hard to resurrect from the dead? He has NO needs. Did He not call all things into being without even breathing or thinking? We know with certainty that He did so in order for us to believe that we, WE, who are temporarily carnal, can live, die to this life, resurrect and ascend into PARADISE/LIFE ETERNAL WITH HIM!

If we are not eager for it, then what value? Many people, even "religions" fast just as strictly and some even more frequently for peace?, for health? for a god who is not God? - people without He Who is Peace, He Who is Truth, He Who is without end.

Who does the following describe?

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

Who said: “I am the Resurrection and the Life"

If we do as He says, we become Him. And then what do you think what happens?

It is said the St. John the Wonderworker of Shanghai and San Francisco blessed everything, even his mailbox.