October 6, 2025

🕂 The Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas.
Polyeleos Feast.
1 Corinthians 4:9-16; John 20:19-31.

Read John 20:19-31

Today we commemorate the life of the Holy Apostle Thomas. Thomas was born in Pansada, a Galilean city and he like many of the other apostles was a fisherman. Like the others he left everything and followed the Lord Jesus when the call came. The Lord privileged St. Thomas by calling him to be one of the Twelve Apostles.

Each Apostle has a special contribution to the life of the Church and the building up of the faith. St. Thomas’s unique contribution is his example of movement of doubt to faith. He 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). Notice that St. Thomas did not say, ‘I will never believe, ever!’ Rather, he said, “but unless I see in His hands the print of the nails…” This tells us that he was open to believe, but asked for a personal encounter of the Risen Christ.

Eight days after St. Thomas could not accept the report of the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to them again. This time, St. Thomas was with them and met the Risen Christ himself. After seeing the wounds and placing his hand in the Lord’s side, St. Thomas gave his famous confession of faith: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). When Thomas touched the side of the Lord, in other words, when he had an intimate encounter with the Risen Christ, his doubts disappeared. This encounter propelled him to preach the Good News bravely, tirelessly, and zealously all over the world. According to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia, and India. It was in India that he was locked up and martyred through a piercing of five spears. His Holy relics are in India, Hungary, and Mt. Athos.

St. Thomas shows us the importance of having a personal encounter and relationship with Jesus Christ. May we all like St. Thomas be open to a holy encounter with the Risen Christ and then have the integrity, courage, and zeal to live out that encounter. Holy Apostle Thomas, pray to Christ God for us!