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St.
Thomas |
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A
Short History |
St. Thomas was a Jew, called
to be one of the twelve
Apostles. He was a dedicated
but impetuous follower of
Christ. When Jesus said 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 that
Christ 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: "My Lord 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 Lake
Tiberias 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 i s July 3rd and he
is the patron of architects.
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