St. Thomas the Apostle
Friends in Christ, today is the Feast of St. Thomas, the Apostle. If you ask a Catholic from India, they will tell you that the Faith was brought to their land by St. Thomas. Many Indian Catholics are Syro-Malabar Catholics, and the feast of St. Thomas is an enormously important day for them.
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It is written in a very old book, that after the Ascension of Our Lord, Thomas was one day in the city of Caesarea, when Christ appeared to him. He said, ‘Thomas, the king of India is seeking a man skilled in architecture. I will send you to him.’ Thomas answered: ‘Lord, send me anywhere you wish, but not India. But the Lord replied: ‘Go in safety, and when you have converted India, you shall win the crown of martyrdom.’ Thomas said, ‘You are my Lord, your will be done.’
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They say, ‘Tell God all your plans, and then….. then he will show you his plan! Well, this was Thomas. No sooner then Christ said this to him, than he met a man in the marketplace who was from India. He said: ‘My master sent me to bring a man learned in architecture, to build a palace.’ So – the two went by ship and came to India.
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Meeting the king, Thomas drew up the plans for a magnificent palace and the king was very pleased. Now while the king was away for two years, Thomas preached the gospel to the people, and brought many to the faith. He gathered together the sick and the lame and the blind; he prayed over them, and a great light knocked them down and flashed over them for half and hour. Thomas said: ‘Stand up! My Lord has come and cured you all!’ So everyone stood up, whole and healthy, and they glorified God.
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But when the king returned and learned what Thomas had done, he threw him into a dungeon. He sent for iron plates fired to red hot, and ordered the apostle to stand barefoot on them, but instantly a spring rose up from the ground and cooled the iron. Then he brought an idol and commanded him to sacrifice to it, but Thomas said, ‘I do not worship this metal, but my Lord Jesus Christ; I command you demons inside, to destroy this idol.’ At once the image melted as if it were made of wax. At this the pagan priest drove a sword through Thomas, and as foretold to him by Christ, he won the crown of martyrdom.
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According to tradition, Thomas preached as far as Muziris, India in 52AD. He is the patron saint of blind people, of architects, and of India.
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St. Thomas is an inspiration for us. Because of his doubts in the Lord’s resurrection, our Faith is made stronger. When he saw the Lord he exclaimed: ‘My Lord and my God.’ We whisper the same thing at the elevation of the Host at Mass: ‘My Lord and my God.’
