Apostle Thomas.

Thomas, the Holy Apostle, surnamed Didymos (which means "twin"), was born in the Galilean city of Paneada, the child of poor parents. In his youth, he cherished the law of Moses greatly and diligently studied the Sacred Scripture of the Jews. Never interested in the games other children played, he led a godly life, occupying himself constantly with physical labor or the activity of the soul.

When our Lord Jesus Christ, during His sojourn on earth with men, passed through the cities and villages, teaching the people and healing all manner of diseases, Thomas, on hearing His preaching and seeing His miracles, cleaved unto Him with all his heart. Delighting in the sweet words of Jesus Christ and the sight of His All-Holy face, Thomas followed Him and was accounted worthy by the Lord of a place in the Choir of the Twelve Apostles, with whom he followed Christ until the very time of His Saving Passion.

When the holy Lazaros reposed (he who was to remain dead for four days in the tomb), it was Thomas who, a good faithful servant of his Master, said in the midst of His Disciples, "Let us also go, that we might die with him" (John 11:16).

Thomas displayed remarkable courage even before the Resurrection, unafraid to accompany his Master into danger. Thomas was with the other Apostles when, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down upon their heads in the form of tongues of fire. He was filled, like the rest, with the power from on High for the proclamation of the world's Salvation; and, when the Apostles went their separate ways, it fell to Thomas to bring the Glad Tidings to the distant lands of the Medes and Parthians (Iran), and as far as India.

He was grieved to be sent to such barbarous peoples, but the Lord appeared unto him in a vision and strengthened him, commanding him not to fear. He promised to abide with Thomas and showed him the way to those lands in the following manner: Gundafor, the King of India, who desired to erect for himself a royal palace of the most splendid sort, sent Abban, a merchant of his country, to the land of Palestine, to find there a skilled builder who knew well the science of architecture and could build a palace like those in which the emperors of the Romans lived. According to Church tradition, the Lord arranged circumstances compelling Thomas to accompany the merchant to India.

There, Thomas performed several miracles including raising those who had died, as well as healings and exorcisms, all of which resulted in many conversions at the royal court. Among others, Thomas converted two sisters to the Faith—Tertiana and Migdonia—both wives of Indian princes. Because of their faith, both sisters were ill-treated by their husbands, with whom they no longer wanted to live after their baptism. His fervent evangelism provoked the wrath of local pagan authorities.

For having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur (Melipur), the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord.

He is believed to have traveled eastward to spread the message of Christianity, eventually reaching India, where he is honored as the founder of the Thomas Christians, particularly in Kerala. To this day in southwest India, along the Malabar Coast, there are people who call themselves Thomas Christians or Christians of St. Thomas and claim Thomas as the founder of their church. Thomas is considered the patron saint of the East Indies.

His holy remains (corpus), after a long interval of time, were removed to the city of Edessa in Syria and there interred. The reputed relics of Saint Thomas remained at Edessa until they were moved to Chios in 1258. Some portion of the relics were later transferred again, and now rest in the Cathedral of Saint Thomas the Apostle in Ortona, Italy.

Saint John Chrysostom teaches that "Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles, toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations." His legacy endures in the churches and Christian communities he established, and his witness remains a powerful testimony to how God transforms doubt into unshakeable faith and sends forth mighty witnesses.

Saint Thomas the Apostle, also called Didymus (which means "the Twin"), was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. His parents were poor but they passed on to him a great love for the Law of Moses. When he was still young, he drew apart from the noisy games of his companions to devote himself to reading and meditating upon the Scriptures. His knowledge of God's word and well-disposed conscience enabled him, without hesitation to recognize Christ as the Messiah spoken of by the Prophets and to follow him as soon as He called him.

He left his boat and his nets and became one of the Twelve. He was persecuted, excluded and stoned by the Jews, yet followed the Savior everywhere with such burning zeal that when Christ took the road for Jerusalem to offer himself for those who were going to kill him, Thomas said to the other disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him (John 11:16).

Thomas is most famously known for his encounter with the risen Christ. According to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe" (John 20:25). On the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. "My Lord and my God," the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). When Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts.

According to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia and India. After the Ascension of Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit, the holy apostles cast lots to determine where each would preach the word of God. To Saint Thomas fell the lot to go to India, that he might enlighten that benighted land and teach its various peoples: the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Hyrcanians, Bactrians, and the Brahmans, who lived in the most distant parts of the country of India. Around 52 AD, Thomas went to Muziris in Southern India (near modern-day Kochi) and established the seven Syro-Malabar and -Malankara churches along the Malabar Coast.

For having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. Thomas was martyred in Mylapore (near modern-day Chennai) in 72 AD. Part of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas are in India, in Hungary and on Mt. Athos.