2nd Sunday after Holy Pascha (Sunday of the Holy Apostle Thomas), His Eminence Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and all Moldova celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. Vladimir Monastery in their native community of Colencauti, Cernauti region, Ukraine.
The Sunday after Holy Pascha commemorates the memory of the Holy Apostle Thomas, in remembrance of the biblical story related to the Resurrection of Christ.
The Holy Gospel according to John relates that in the evening of the day of the Resurrection, Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples and greeted them. Apostle Thomas was not with them at that moment, and when the other disciples told him they had seen the risen Christ, he refused to believe them, unless he touched the Lord’s wounds. Eight days after that, Jesus appeared again in the middle of His disciples:
“And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20: 26-28)
This Gospel story is a good lesson of faith to the entire world, as Lord Jesus Christ said, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20: 29)
After the Divine Liturgy, the liturgical community went in a Cross Procession around the church, and Metropolitan Vladimir uttered prayers for the eternal commemoration of the main ctitors of the monastery, late Vasile and Vera Cantarean, His Eminence’s parents who are buried in the courtyard of the Monastery.
“It is my honourable duty to commemorate, among the ctitors of this holy settlement, my parents, Vasile and Vera. We pray that the Lord rests them among the righteous ones, and we believe that our prayers are heard in the Heavens. I commemorate them at all Divine Liturgies after their blessed repose, and it is a special occasion to me to pray for them now and here, among my fellow community members”, – said the first hierarch of the Orthodox Church of Moldova.
Synodal Sector of Institutional Communication and Mass-Media Relations.