THE TWELVE CHOSEN – DOUBTING THOMAS

St. Thomas is sometimes called Didymus the Twin or  the Apostle of India or more often Doubting Thomas, he was a Jew and a carpenter and was one of the original twelve disciples chosen by Christ to preach his Gospels He was a dedicated follower of Christ even Ready to die with Jesus when Christ went to Jerusalem.

when Jesus announced His intention of returning to Judea to visit his sick friend Lazarus, Thomas immediately rallied his fellow disciples to go with Him on the trip which involved because of the mounting hostility of the authorities certain danger and possible death.

when Christ told His Apostles At the Last Supper, 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 it was Thomas who said “Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?” and Christ assured them with the beautiful assurance that He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus came to them after the Resurrection. And on his Thomas’s return he refused to believe what had happened.

He continued to doubt the Resurrection until Eight days later he was allowed to touch Christ's wounds when The Lord came a second time.

Thomas was gently rebuked for his skepticism and then exclaimed: “My Lord and My God,” thus making a public Profession of Faith in the Divinity of Jesus.

Thomas was also present at another Resurrection appearance of Jesus when a miraculous catch of fish occurred at Lake Tiberius.

After Pentecost the Apostles dispersed and Thomas was sent to evangelize and he preached to the Parthians, Medes, and Persians he formed many parishes and churches along the way and he eventually reached India, spreading the gospels as far as the Malabar Coast.

While in India he was stabbed to death with a spear around 72 AD at a place called Calamine.

Since the fourth century the celebration of the transference of his body to Edessa in Mesopotamia has been commemorated on his feast day on July 3^rd.