Thoughts to live by: Feast of St Thomas the Apostle

3 July — 13th Week in Ordinary Time

Readings: Eph. 2:19-22; Ps. 117:1, 2; Jn. 20:24-29

Some Notes on St. Thomas the Apostle:

1. St. Thomas the Apostle was born in the 1st century AD in Galilee and died in 72 AD in India, according to tradition. He is mentioned in all the lists of Apostles in the Synoptic Gospels (Mt. 10:3; Mk. 3:18; Lk. 6; see also Acts 1:13). His name means "twin" or "didymos." He is commonly known as the "Doubting Thomas" because he initially doubted the resurrection of Jesus. He famously said to the other Apostles who had reported the Resurrection,
   "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails and put my finger into the nailmarks, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe" (Jn. 20:25).

2. He is mentioned in the Gospels at other times. When Jesus said he was returning to Judea to visit Lazarus at a time when the Jews were growing hostile to him, it was Thomas who said to his fellow disciples,
   "Let us also go to die with him" (Jn. 11:16).
   Again, during the Last Supper, Thomas asked,
   "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" (Jn. 14:5).
   This question elicited one of Jesus’ most profound answers about discipleship:
   "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me" (Jn. 14:6).
   Thomas’s act of faith after finally seeing the Risen Jesus is memorable:
   "My Lord and my God" (Jn. 20:28),
   which is the clearest declaration of Jesus’ divinity in the Gospels. Finally, Thomas is also mentioned in another post-Resurrection event—the miraculous haul of fish at Lake Tiberias (Jn. 21:2).

3. Outside the Gospels, what we know of him comes from tradition and apocryphal writings dating back to the 3rd century AD. These writings are of Gnostic origin, such as the Gospel of Thomas, Acts of Thomas, and the Infancy Gospel of Thomas.

   One notable legend says the other Apostles were miraculously transported to Jerusalem to witness the Virgin Mary's death, while Thomas was left in India. After her burial, he was transported to her tomb, where he witnessed her bodily assumption into heaven, from which she dropped her girdle. The other Apostles initially doubted Thomas' story until they saw the empty tomb and Mary's girdle.

4. According to tradition, Thomas preached the Gospel in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, and Ethiopia. The tradition of the St. Thomas Christians of Kerala, India, who trace their origins to Thomas, says he traveled beyond the Roman Empire through southern India in the modern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in 52 AD.

5. He started the Church in the East in Syria and Persia, in the regions of Upper Mesopotamia (modern-day southern Turkey), presumably between the mid-late 30s and 40s AD. He spent many years evangelizing Jews and pagans in the area before heading further east in the late 40s.

6. Many churches in the Middle East and southern Asia, besides India, also mention the Apostle Thomas in their historical traditions, including Sri Lanka, as their first evangelist. One legend says he met and baptized the Magi on his way to India.

   Early Christian writers such as Ephrem Syrus, Ambrose, Paulinus, Jerome, and later Gregory of Tours confirmed that Thomas preached in India.

7. For converting the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur (Melipur), Thomas was imprisoned, tortured, and finally pierced with five spears—martyred for his faith. Parts of his relics are in Chennai, India, where he was martyred. Other parts are in the Basilica di San Tommaso in Ortona, Italy. His skull ended up on the Greek island of Chios in the 13th century. St. Thomas is the Patron Saint of Architects.

8. Prayer:
   Almighty Father, as we honor Thomas the Apostle, may we always experience the help of his prayers. Grant us, we pray, eternal life by believing in Jesus, whom Thomas acknowledged as Lord and God, for he lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Prayers, best wishes, God bless!