“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Reflection

In the eyes of the Holy Fathers, Christ did not come to satisfy a legal debt, but to heal a broken humanity. He is the Great Physician who entered the tomb to trample down death by death, shattering the gates of Hades to rescue us from the thief who seeks our destruction. This abundant life is not a mere transaction; it is *theosis*—the breathtaking possibility of becoming by grace what God is by nature. By His Resurrection, the distance between the Creator and the creature is bridged, inviting us into eternal communion. Yet, this gift requires our synergy. God knocks, but we must open the door, choosing freely to cooperate with His light. Salvation is the ongoing restoration of our beauty, leading us from glory to glory. Come, leave the shadows of the thief and turn toward Christ.