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. 

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS BY THE BOOK (2018)

 

Joanna Moret (Chelsea Kane) is a Lifestyle guru and is offered the chance to present her own daytime TV show as long as she can make a success of George MacAllen's holiday gala.

There is only one snag and that is that she has to do it with her boyfriend at her side, but this supposed expert on love is actually single, so to keep up appearances, TV producer Ted Drew Seeley pretends to be her partner.

Complications to the couple are provided by Chad Connell as George MacAllen’s son Del and Alanna LeVierge as Ted’s ex-girlfriend Valerie.

STEPHEN THE MARTYR

 

St. Stephen was one of the first seven deacons selected and specially ordained by the Apostles to take care of the temporal relief of the poorer members of the community.

The Apostles appointed the deacons as they were Dissatisfied with the distribution of alms from the community's fund.

Stephen's life prior to his appointment is something of a mystery in is believed as his name is Greek that he was a Hellenist, which means he was a Jew who had been born in a foreign land and his native tongue was Greek.

However it is believed that the Aramaic form of the name Stephen, Kelil was inscribed on a slab found in his tomb which may indicate that was his original name.

Other evidence suggests that Stephen was not a proselyte (a stranger, a comer to Palestine or a sojourner in the land) in fact  Nicolas is the only one of the seven referred to as such indicating that the other six were Jews by birth.

It is unclear under what circumstances he became a Christian but he was obviously suited to his calling in order that the apostles should select him.

He spent much of his ministry as deacon among the Hellenist converts which is where he came into conflict meeting opposition from the synagogues of the "Libertines" the “Cyrenians, the “Alexandrians”, and those from Cilicia and Asia.

He was regarded as a good character and as a man of good reputation, a man full of faith, and full of grace and fortitude.

A great speaker capable of causing the most vehement opponent to doubt his own convictions.

It was after such an incident when cavilers of the various synagogues, Libertines, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, Cilician’s and Asian’s, had challenged Stephen to a dispute.

After Stephen had defeated all their arguments and twisted their own words back them the cavilers came out with the pride wounded and with such hatred in their hearts they bore false witnesses against him claiming to have heard him speak words of blasphemy against Moses and God.

The ancients and the scribes had long been waiting for a chance to stop Stephens preaching and had him arrested and taken before the Sanhedrin.

 He was accused of many blasphemies his clever words now fired back at him like arrows each wounding him.

Finally he said: "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God"

No other words could have angered the mob more they violently set upon him and dragged him outside the city and stoned him to death in 33 AD.

Stephen's funeral was a large affair and many made great mourning over him.

However for centuries the location of St. Stephen's tomb was lost until in 415 AD a priest named Lucian learned by revelation that the sacred body was in Caphar Gamala, some distance to the north of Jerusalem.

St Stephens’s relics were then exhumed and carried first to the church of Mount Sion and then, in 460AD, to the basilica erected by Eudocia on the spot where, according to tradition, the stoning had taken place outside the Damascus Gate.

20 PEOPLE WHO LEFT THE WORLD ON DECEMBER 26TH

 

  267 Dionysius, bishop of Rome and saint

1476 Galeazzo Maria Sforza, duke of Milan, murdered

1627 Gonzaga, Italian monarch of Mantua and Monferrato

1776 Johann Gottlieb Rall, mercenary Hessian colonel killed in battle

1862 in Mankato Minnesota, 38 Santee Sioux Indians were hanged

1890 Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist aged 86 

1956 Holmes Herbert, actor 74 

1966 Noel Gallon, composer 75

1971 Robert Lowery, actor aged 57 

1972 Harry Truman the 33rd President of the U.S. died in Kansas City aged 88

1973 William Haines, actor 73

1974 Jack Benny, comedian aged 80

1977 Howard Hawks, director, aged 81

1985 Dian Fossey, zoologist specializing in Gorillas, murdered aged 53

1986 Elsa Lanchester, actress 84

1988 John Loder, actor aged 90 

1992 Constance Carpenter, actress, dies of stroke aged 87

1993 Jeff Morrow, actor aged 80

1994 Robert Emhardt, actor, 80

1997 John Whitley, air-Marshal, aged 92

THOMASSING

 

In England on St Thomas day, poor women and children went from door to door "a-Thomassing".

They would beg for the ingredients or “goodenings” for a Christmas feast, such as wheat for frumenty and flour for Yule bread.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS CONNECTION (2017)

 

On her last flight before Christmas, Flight Attendant Sydney (Brooke Burns) is tasked with looking after Leah (Sophie Neudorf) , an eight-year-old unaccompanied minor flying back to Chicago after visiting family and she is charmed by the little girl and makes an instant connection with her.

Once she arrived in Chicago her plan was to take a “Jump seat” on a flight to sunnier climes for the holidays, but Leah’s father, Jonathan (Tom Everett Scott), is late and she stays with Leah until he arrived but she misses her flight in the meantime.

When Sydney reaches her hotel she finds a package belonging to Leah which had found its way into her bag, knowing it was precious to her Sydney delivered the gift back to Leah’s home and gets invited to join in some fun, family Christmas festivities.

Because Sydney has missed her connection, she is stuck in Chicago for a few days and grounded from her jet-setting ways, but then she bumps into Leah and Jonathan again who invite her to spend the holidays with them, and she manages to stay long enough to fall in love.

A GIFT FOR MARIA

 

A young man called Paul

Wanted to buy a present

For his new sweetheart Maria

As a Christmas present

 

As they’d not been dating

For a very long duration

He decided to purchase

After careful consideration

A nice pair of gloves
striking the right note

Not too romantic or personal

So the gloves got his vote

 

Accompanied by Maria’s sister

He went to Harrods and bought

A dainty pair of white gloves

“She will like these” he thought

 

Maria’s sister Susan bought

A pair of panties for herself

But during the wrapping

An error was made on the shelf

 

The assistant mixed up

The gloves and the panties

The sister got the gloves

And Maria got the scanties

 

Without checking Paul sealed

The package along with a note

And sent it to his sweetheart

And this is what he wrote

Dear Maria, I chose these

As I noticed my darling

That you don’t wear any

When we go out in the evening.

 

If not for your sister Susan

I would have got long ones

The type with the buttons,

But Susan wears short ones

That are easier to remove.

They are a delicate shade,

But the shop assistant
where the purchase was made

Showed me the pair she has

That she’d been wearing
and were hardly soiled

After three weeks wearing 

I had her try yours on for me

And she looked really chic

Even though they were

Tight on her a little bit.

 

She told me that her pair

Helps to keep her ring

Clean and shiny, and in fact

And this is interesting

Since she’d begun wearing them.

It hadn’t needed washing

 

I really hope you like them

And wish I were there with you

To put them on you Maria
for the first time I really do

 

As no doubt many other hands

Will have touched them

Before I see you again

Remember when you remove them

To blow into them before

Putting them away and drying 

As they will naturally be

A little damp from wearing

 

Just think how many times

My lips will kiss them
during the coming year.

I hope you will wear them

For me on Friday night
All my love Paul till then

 

P.S. The latest style

Which appears to be growing

Is to wear them folded down

With a little fur showing