WEBVTT

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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

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of the Holy Spirit. Christ is risen. We are in

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the midst of the Paschal season, and this year,

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April 20th, was the first Sunday of Pascha. Pascha

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itself. And on Vespers that day, the Gospel reading

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ended with the Apostle Thomas saying these words.

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Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails

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and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.

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And belief is such an important thing for us,

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for all of us. Belief is central to our faith.

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And last Sunday, on the second Sunday of Pascha,

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We heard in the Gospel reading how the Lord appeared

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miraculously in the middle of a closed room in

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the midst of his disciples, and St. Thomas was

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there. And the Kentuckian of that day said, Thomas

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touched your life -giving side with an eager

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hand, O Christ God, when you did come to your

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apostles through closed doors. He cried out with

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all, You are my Lord and my God. Doubt disappeared.

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Believing Thomas went forth that day, and from

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that time he took the gospel message to many

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people in many lands. The way of salvation was

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taken to Parthia and to the Medes and to the

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Persians and to those in India. He took the gospel.

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and gave it to others because he had belief.

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Belief is the most important thing for us to

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move forward in faith, to walk with the Lord.

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And this Sunday, the third Sunday of Pascha,

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the Sunday of the myrrh -bearing women, of the

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saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, believed.

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Today's gospel reading from Mark tells us of

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how Joseph took down the body of Christ and wrapped

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him in fine linen and placed him in a new tomb

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and rolled a great stone in front of that door

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and then after on the Sabbath morning after the

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Sabbath on the next morning at the sunrise Mary

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Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome,

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bought spices that they might come and anoint

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him. It was a Jewish custom to anoint the body

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with aromatic oils, and these faithful women,

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they sought to fulfill this custom. They knew

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there was a stone there, but they went anyway.

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And what did they find? the stone rolled away

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miraculously. And inside the tomb, they did not

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find the body of the Lord. They found an angel

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who told them, Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus

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of Nazareth, who is crucified. He is risen. He

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is not here. See the place where they laid him.

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But go tell his disciples and Peter that he is

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going before you into Galilee. There you will

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see him as he said to you. And we honor these

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myrrh -bearing women this day for their courage

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and their devotion and their demonstration of

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great love for Jesus. When the disciples were

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scattered, they were at the Lord's tomb, learning

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of the resurrection in fullness. And this is

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the lesson for us. to move forward in faith,

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to believe, to follow our Lord and God and Savior,

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Jesus Christ, even when perhaps a moment of doubt

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hits us. We keep going, just as they did, with

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courage, devotion, and love, to never leave him,

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to trust in him with such faith that even if

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some unmovable stone is in our way, We continue

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moving forward, doing what we know is right,

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seeking to follow his commandments because we

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believe. And we will walk a life of faith and

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live a life of faith, continuing on the road

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of salvation and the way of truth. St. Thomas

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had doubts, but he kept walking. And the Lord

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gave him what was needed. And so that now we

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call him believing Thomas. Do you have doubts?

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Keep going. What is the most important step in

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your walk of faith? The next step. Keep going

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and God will sanctify you. Believe and trust

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in the Lord. And now on this third Sunday of

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Pascha. We rejoice with the myrrh -bearing women,

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with St. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, with

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St. Thomas and all the apostles and all the saints.

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We rejoice for our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus

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Christ, has conquered sin and death. Christ is

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risen.