Today, the Church celebrates the Feast day of Saint Thomas, the Apostle - who is also referred to in the gospels as Didymus (the twin) (cf Jn 11:16; 20:24; 21:2).
Thomas is the one who was not present when Jesus first appeared to his disciples in the Upper Room after his resurrection. So the other disciples said to him, 'We have seen the Lord'. But he said to them, 'Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the marks, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe' (Jn 20:25). I love Thomas because his lack of faith helps me to believe that even when my faith seems weak, there is always hope.
After Jesus' Ascension, Thomas is said to have travelled far outside the Roman Empire, preaching the gospel in Tamilakam: the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in present-day India. According to tradition, Thomas reached Muziris, (modern-day North Paravur and Kodungalloor in the state of Kerala, India) in AD 50 and baptized several people, founding what today are known as Saint Thomas Christians.
While that would have been an absolutely immense amount of space to cover - and indeed, Thomas should be admired for that accomplishment alone - we can almost hear him speaking in words that would not have been dissimilar to those Saint Paul wrote to the Christian community at Ephesus: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone (Eph 2:19-20).
Today, let us ask Saint Thomas to pray with us for the gift of fervent conviction so that we too can joyfully share the gift of our faith with those we meet.
Have a great day.
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