Life through experience and knowledge – Fr. Gavril Galev
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Christ is risen!
We will say again, Christ is the centre of our lives, and Christ’s resurrection is the greatest and most important event in the history of mankind. Without Christ’s resurrection, man is nothing, and without His resurrection life is only a shadow and a dream. But Christ was incarnate and became Man, and by His death and resurrection He gave man meaning and life again. That is why our life should be based on faith in Christ and His resurrection.
Many call themselves Christians, they are baptised, and they may hold some rituals and traditions in the Church, but their faith in Christ’s resurrection is weak and some do not even believe it. But they are not right. The event with the Holy Apostle Thomas confirms the truth of Christ’s resurrection. If there was not the Holy Apostle Thomas and his blissful “disbelief” they might have been right. But the humility of Christ and the zeal of the Holy Apostle Thomas break down any disbelief.
The Holy Apostle Thomas was not unfaithful, he could not have been unfaithful, as he was one of the most persistent and most compassionate Apostles, as he was one of those who never said even a word against any Christ’s decisions. But because he was not made worthy to be present on the day when Christ appeared amongst the apostles, which was not accidental, he was saddened and did not want to be content with what the apostles told him about the resurrected Christ, but he wanted to see Him in person, in order to witness and confirm that.
His perseverance becomes a pillar of our faith, of confirming our faith that Jesus Christ resurrected, and also, to confirm the faith of all those who doubt, who say: “who has seen the resurrection of Christ.(?)” Well, here is one that saw Him. The Holy Apostles saw Him, and Thomas not only saw Him but even touched the resurrected Christ. However, those who do not believe, they do not believe again. In fact, they do not want to believe, because Christ is “creating everything new” and they will have to change, but to them a life of no repentance and the satisfaction of their passions is more likeable.
The example of Saint Thomas should not be interpreted as a negative example, but as a positive one. Let us also learn from him. It was not enough for the Holy Apostle Thomas to hear that Christ was resurrected, but the Holy Apostle Thomas wanted to experience, to touch, to know Christ. That is a life through (in) experience and communion with the living and resurrected God. Such should be our life and our relationship with Christ.
That is true Christianity and the Christian way of life. Personal life in the knowledge of Christ and all Christian teaching. Let our life be the life of Christ and let the life of Christ be our life, in that way we are Christs’. And let us not be satisfied with being enough to believe only, that it is enough to fast, it is enough to go to church once a week or for some even less often, to light a candle and give a gift in the church, but let us always seek experience of personally knowing Christ. Let us seek Christ, to reach (touch) and to have Christ in our heart.
Christ is reached (touched) in many ways. By doing good deeds and keeping the commandments of God. With our love and our personal relationships with others, especially with our enemies. Through the good thoughts and feelings. And most closely through the Holy Communion and the prayer, and especially with the asceticism of the unceasing Jesus prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, the sinner,” in our minds and in our hearts.
St. Ap. Thomas later confirmed his faith through his life. He went to preach farthest from all, even all the way to India, and there he confirmed his faith, or rather fidelity to Christ, by his death for His sake. May we follow his example and live like this Holy Apostle, may we have Christ in our hearts, may we touch Christ, so that we too can say, ‘My God and my Lord’.
Father Gavril Galev
Abbot of the monastery “St. Clement of Ohrid”,
Kinglake, Melbourne, Australia
09.05.2021
