Adventures of the Apostle Thomas
John 20:20-24
Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord’, he answered, ‘Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.’ Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him: ‘You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’
Thomas exclaims “My Lord and My God.” Why does Thomas believe Jesus is God? Because He is risen from the dead. The truth of Jesus’ divinity is confirmed by his Resurrection of which Thomas is a witness, along with the women, the Apostles and more than 500 people at one time Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15.
Jesus is Risen
Thomas the Apostle
Sometime after 42 AD, Thomas travelled from Jerusalem to Damascus in Syria and then eastward, preaching the Gospel and establishing the Catholic Church in towns along the way until he arrived in Punjab, Pakistan, 20 miles north-west of Islamabad.
Having planted Catholicism there, the Holy Spirit called him back to Israel for the Council of Jerusalem in 49 or 50 AD. He was present there, with all the Apostles except for James and Judas, to witness the Assumption of Mary from Jerusalem. Then Thomas went by way of the Red Sea to Yemen, then to the large island Socotra, off the coast of Yemen, where he established Catholicism. From there he sailed across the Arabian Sea to western coast of India, to Kerala in 52 AD. Thomas went with no companions. The thought of that is staggering. To be the only Christian on the entire continent of Asia. Yet he was not alone. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.” Thomas was not alone; neither am I; neither are you. Jesus is present.
For 17 years Thomas led people to Jesus
He set up the Catholic Church in India along the Malabar coast. When the St Francis Xavier sailed from Spain in the 1500s to bring Christianity to India, guess what he found when he got off the boat? Catholics and the Catholic Church and all the Catholic teachings, practices, the Mass, priests, and devotion to Mary. Where did you come from, he asked? From Thomas they responded. I know a priest from the Malabar region and his parish, which is considered one of the newer ones, was established in the year 999. This shows that what we believe and practice as Catholics today is the very faith Jesus Christ established and the Apostles handed on.
Having established Catholicism on the western coast of India, Thomas traveled east to Mylapore near Madras. Nearby was a temple of Kali, the Satanic goddess of death and dismemberment, patroness of stranglers. I am not making this stuff up. Without the light of Christ, you become enslaved to the demons of darkness. It will happen here in America too if as we turn away from Christ. It is already happening. Throughout human history and all ancient cults, Satan demands death through child sacrifice and war. This is what fuels his kingdom of darkness. We are giving Satan sacrifice through abortion. Next, he will want violent revolution everywhere and war to feed his demonic need for death and destruction on a larger scale. That is why Mother Teresa said abortion is the cause of war. Mary the Mother of God comes repeatedly begging us to pray the Rosary for peace in order to avoid war.
Little Mount
In 72 AD, 20 years after he arrived in India, Thomas was praying in a cave on a hill called the Little Mount. Brahmins from the temple of Kali attacked him. One pierced his heart with a lance, and he died. He was buried at Mylapore, where, ever since Indian Christians have venerated his tomb. “Let us go to Jerusalem and die with Jesus,” Thomas had said in 33 AD. Now he had done so, at Mylapore overlooking the Bay of Bengal, more than 3000 miles from home. He brought the light of Christ to scatter the darkness of the kingdom of Satan. You and I do not need to go 3000 miles or even 30 miles to find people today who are descending into darkness and despair because they have no one who will care enough to personally invest in them and help them to a deep friendship with Jesus who is the light of the world, the only light of every soul.
To whom do you want to send me
By Baptism and Confirmation we have been given the same mission as Thomas. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to reveal and put us in contact with the person God wants us to help because God comes to people through people. Lord, this holiday week of the 4th of July, to whom do you want to send me. I pray for that person now that they will have a desire for friendship with you and an open heart to our conversation and my invitation. Lord I also pray for myself. I beg for the grace to get over myself. Its not about me. It never was. It is all about You Lord and other souls. Give me the grace of wisdom, tact, courage, and patience to take the opportunities you give me to help someone grow closer to you. If you want your kids to be on fire Catholics; then invite people into your home, give them hospitality, a meal, drinks…have good conversation about the most important things in life, especially God and pray the Rosary. If your kids don’t see you do it they will not think it is important nor will they learn how.