St. Thomas

Thomas At a Glance

•In Hebrew means, “paired/twin”.

•When Jesus decided to go to Bethany to raise Lazarus, coming dangerously close to Jerusalem, St. Thomas said to his fellow apostles, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

•“Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe!”

•Thomas’s reaction to Christ after touching his wounds: “My Lord, My God!”

Small T Tradition: The Death of Peter

Tradition holds that St. Thomas traveled extensively outside the Roman Empire, including Turkey, Armenia, Iran, Asia and India. St. Thomas was a relentless missionary, much like St. Paul, converting thousands of Hindus. He also performed bountiful miracles of healing: the blind saw, the lame walked, lepers were cured, the dead rose, and many exorcisms were performed. St. Thomas was given to fasting, long periods of prayer, and only decorated his houses of worship with the symbol of the Cross. St. Thomas suffered death at the hands of the Brahmins (72 A.D.). Fearing that Christianity would take over, they found St. Thomas praying in a cave and they ran him through with a lance. After being speared, the Apostle dragged himself to the local chapel, and grabbing a stone cross said, “Lord I thank thee for all thy mercies. Into thy hands I commend my spirit.”