Saint of the Day for 03 July: St Thomas Apostle
His story is mainly linked to the narratives of the Gospels
Born in Pansada, Galilee in the 1st century BC, Saint Thomas the Apostle, also known as Thomas the Didymus or Thomas the Elder, is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ according to the New Testament of the Bible.
According to the Gospels, Thomas was one of the twelve apostles called by Jesus during his ministry in Galilee. He is mentioned in several passages in the New Testament, but is best known for his disbelief concerning the resurrection of Jesus. In the Gospel according to John, after the resurrection of Christ, Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared to his disciples. When the other apostles told him that they had seen the Lord, Thomas declared that he would not believe until he could see and touch Jesus’ wounds. Eight days later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples and invited Thomas to touch his wounds, thus bringing him to faith.
After Pentecost, Thomas joined the other apostles in evangelising and spreading Christianity. According to tradition, he is believed to have undertaken missions in several places, including India in addition to missions in Syria and Babylon. He is said to have preached the Gospel and performed miracles, converting many people to Christianity.
Tradition also has it that Thomas was martyred because of his faith. According to legend, while preaching in India, he was pierced with a lance and died. His death is commemorated on 3 July in the Christian liturgy.
St Thomas is considered the patron saint of builders and surveyors because of his association with church building and the tradition that he was part of the body of twelve apostles who designed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Despite the lack of detailed historical sources on the life of St. Thomas, his figure has remained of great importance in the Christian tradition and has inspired numerous writings and works of art over the centuries.
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