St. Thomas, Apostle.

“The Incredulity of St Thomas” by Carvaggio

There are few images that impact the imagination as much as the “incredulous” Apostle Thomas thrusting his hands into Our Blessed Lord’s wounds. “My Lord and my God!” Thomas cries out in awe and wonder. This pronouncement of Faith, of the complete knowledge of the Truth of Jesus’s glorious Resurrection from the Dead, is the culmination of the whole Gospel. We too, each one of us, whether cradle Catholics or converts to Christianity, have to come to that full realisation one day: Jesus is Lord and God, and He suffered and died for me! The Resurrection of Jesus is our assurance of our Salvation from sin and death. What an unfathomable mystery of Love!

St. John Chrysostom said about Thomas:

“Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles, toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to salvage nations.”

From Catholic Online:

St. Thomas was a Jew, called to be one of the twelve Apostles. He was a dedicated but impetuous follower of Christ. When Jesussaid He was returning to Judea to visit His sick friend Lazarus, Thomas immediately exhorted the other Apostles to accompany Him on the trip which involved certain danger and possible death because of the mounting hostility of the authorities. At the Last Supper, when Christ told His Apostles that He was going to prepare a place for them to which they also might come because they knew both the place and the way, Thomas pleaded that they did not understand and received the beautiful assurance thatChrist is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. But St. Thomas is best known for his role in verifying the Resurrection of his Master. Thomas’ unwillingness to believe that the other Apostles had seen their risen Lord on the first Easter Sunday merited for him the title of “doubting Thomas.” Eight days later, on Christ’s second apparition, Thomas was gently rebuked for his scepticism and furnished with the evidence he had demanded – seeing in Christ’s hands the point of the nails and putting his fingers in the place of the nails and his hand into His side. At this, St. Thomas became convinced of the truth of the Resurrection and exclaimed: “MyLord and My God,” thus making a public Profession of Faith in the Divinity of Jesus. St. Thomas is also mentioned as being present at another Resurrection appearance of Jesus – at LakeTiberias when a miraculous catch of fish occurred. This is all that we know about St. Thomas from the New Testament. Tradition says that at the dispersal of the Apostles after Pentecost this saint was sent to evangelize the Parthians, Medes, and Persians; he ultimately reached India, carrying the Faith to the Malabar coast, which still boasts a large native population calling themselves “Christians of St. Thomas.” He capped his left by shedding his blood for his Master, speared to death at a place called Calamine. His feast day is July 3rd and he is the patron of architects.

On the wall of a church in India comes this prayer:

You were a disciple of Christ
And a member of the divine college of Apostles.
Having been weak in faith you doubted the Resurrection of Christ.
But by feeling the wounds you believed in His all-pure passion:
Pray now to Him, O all-praised Thomas to grant us peace and great mercy.
Troparion for Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas

St. Thomas, pray for us who are weak in faith!