Saint of the day July 3: Saint Thomas the Apostle. Catholic Saints

Every July 3, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle, the simple fisherman from Galilee whom Jesus called to be his disciple and who tradition has perpetuated due to his initial disbelief in the Resurrection of the Lord and his subsequent act of faith. by recognizing the divinity of Jesus.

We owe him precisely those beautiful words taken from the Gospel and that we repeat at each Mass on our knees before God in the Eucharist: “My Lord and my God” (Jn 20, 28) – recognition of the real presence of Christ on the altar.

The apostle Thomas spoke those words eight days after the resurrection of the Lord, when he appeared again to his disciples. Jesus says to Thomas: «Put your finger here and look at my hands; Bring your hand and put it in my side, and do not be an unbeliever but a believer” (Mt 28, 27).

Disbelief and disappointment, then faith strengthened

The Gospel of Saint John gives an account of the disbelief of Saint Thomas. The disciples had told him: “We have seen the Lord”, however, Thomas, who was not with them when the Master appeared, did not believe and said: “If I do not see the mark of the nails in his hands and I do not put my finger in the nail hole and do not put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (Jn 20, 25).

Then, «… Jesus stood in the middle while the doors were closed, and said: “Peace be with you.” Then he says to Thomas: «Put your finger here and look at my hands; Bring your hand and put it in my side, and do not be an unbeliever but a believer” (Jn 20:27). Thomas responded: “My Lord and my God” (Jn 20:28).

Thomas’s initial attitude certainly reflects the doubts that probably overwhelmed his soul, perhaps even a feeling of disappointment, because he had believed in the Lord and had been by his side for a long time, and now everything seemed confusing, dark, uncertain. . Tomás had believed in his friend and trusted Him, but now after the death of the Master, he was disoriented.

Despite this, Jesus in his kindness gives him the opportunity to redeem himself and Thomas accepts the invitation. His final words – as we have seen – settle the score. Thomas, with the help of the Spirit, manages to overcome his lack of faith: “My Lord and My God.” He is now sure that it is Jesus himself who is in front of him, and that he is true God. He was the first to fully recognize the divinity of the resurrected Christ.

The man on his knees in front of the divinity

There was a previous moment between Thomas and Jesus with similar characteristics and that is worth remembering in this context: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one goes to the Father except through me,” says Jesus, revealing his nature. Jesus expresses himself in this way regarding a question asked by Thomas: “Lord, we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way?” (Jn 14, 5).

Once the Apostles were sent by the Holy Spirit to preach the Good News to all nations, Thomas headed to Persia and its surroundings, as well as Ethiopia and India, where tradition accounts for the end of his life in martyrdom. .

The Virgin Mary’s belt

The saint is credited with having received the girdle of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with which he is sometimes artistically represented. According to an ancient tradition, Thomas also did not believe in the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and had the tomb opened where some said the body of the Virgin was found. That same tradition indicates that Thomas found himself alone with the abundant flowers that filled the grave and that the Mother of God, from heaven, untied her belt and let it fall into the apostle’s hands.

Saint Thomas is considered the patron of architects, builders, judges, theologians and of the cities of Prato, Parma and Urbino in Italy.

Saint Thomas and the beginning of Francis’ pontificate

Pope Francis, on the feast day of Saint Thomas 2013, reflected deeply on the apostle Thomas, and reminded the faithful that “the Lord knows why he does things. He gives each of us the time he thinks is best for us. Tomás has been given a week. Jesus is presented with his wounds: his whole body was clean, beautiful, full of light, but the wounds were and still are, and when the Lord will come, at the end of the world, he will show us his wounds ( …)”.

“Tomás, to believe, wanted to put his fingers in the sores: he was stubborn. But the Lord wanted precisely a stubborn person to make us understand something greater. Thomas saw the Lord, who invited him to put his finger in the nail wound, to put his hand on his side, and he did not say: it is true: the Lord has risen. No! He went further. He said: God! He is the first disciple to confess the divinity of Christ after the resurrection, and to worship properly” (Pope Francis).

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If you want to know more about the apostle Saint Thomas, we recommend this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/Santo_Tom%C3%A1s_Ap%C3%B3stol.

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