Saint Thomas the Apostle
Date of celebration: 06/10
Saint Thomas the Apostle was among the twelve disciples of the Lord and belonged to a family of fishermen. Thomas, therefore, after the Resurrection of Christ and His first appearance to the disciples, distrusted what they told him. But the Lord appeared again to the disciples in the upper room, when Thomas was among them.
Then the Lord urged Thomas to feel the wounds from the nails that crucified Him, and not to become an unbeliever, but a believer. Stunned, Thomas prostrated himself and cried out: “My Lord and my God.”
And the Lord’s answer was such that he will teach all those who want to distrust the truth of the Gospel. So the Lord said: “because you have heard me, you have believed, blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” That is, says the Lord to Thomas, you believed because you saw me. Blessed and more fortunate are those who, although they did not see me, believed.
Tradition states that Thomas after receiving the Holy Spirit went and preached the Gospel to the Persians, Medes and Indians. In India, he was arrested by King Misdaeus, because he catechized and baptized his son Azani, his wife Tertia and his daughters Mygdonia and Narka.
After imprisoning him, he handed him over to five soldiers, who took him up a mountain and killed him with a spear. Thus, God claimed him not only to preach His Gospel, but also to give his life for Him.