{"id":235620,"date":"2022-05-01T20:23:58","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T00:23:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smuocnb.org\/?p=235620"},"modified":"2022-05-01T20:24:45","modified_gmt":"2022-05-02T00:24:45","slug":"the-holy-and-glorious-apostle-thomas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smuocnb.org\/index.php\/2022\/05\/01\/the-holy-and-glorious-apostle-thomas\/","title":{"rendered":"The Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas"},"content":{"rendered":"

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SAINT OF THE DAY:<\/strong> (May 1) The Holy and Glorious Apostle Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and was a fisherman. Hearing the good tidings of Jesus Christ, he left all and followed after Him. The Apostle Thomas is included in the number of the holy Twelve Apostles of the Savior. According to Holy Scripture, the holy Apostle Thomas did not believe the reports of the other disciples about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: \u201cUnless 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\u201d (John 20:25). On the eighth day after the Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Apostle Thomas and showed him His wounds. \u201cMy Lord and my God,\u201d the Apostle cried out (John 20:28). \u201cThomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles,\u201d says Saint John Chrysostom, \u201ctoiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God to savage nations.\u201d Some icons depicting this event are inscribed \u201cThe Doubting Thomas.\u201d This is incorrect. In Greek, the inscription reads, \u201cThe Touching of Thomas.\u201d In Slavonic, it says, \u201cThe Belief of Thomas.\u201d When Saint Thomas touched the Life-giving side of the Lord, he no longer had any doubts. According to Church Tradition, the holy Apostle Thomas founded Christian churches in Palestine, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Ethiopia, and India. Preaching the Gospel earned him a martyr\u2019s death. For having converted the wife and son of the prefect of the Indian city of Meliapur [Melipur], the holy apostle was locked up in prison, suffered torture, and finally, pierced with five spears, he departed to the Lord. Part of the relics of the holy Apostle Thomas is in India, Hungary, and Mt. Athos. The name of the Apostle Thomas is associated with the Arabian (or Arapet) Icon of the Mother of God (September 6).<\/p>\n

(May 8) Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearing Women with the Noble Joseph. The Myrrh-bearing women are those women who followed the Lord, along with His Mother. They remained with her during the time of the saving Passion, and anointed the Lord’s body was with myrrh. Joseph and \u039dik\u03ccd\u0113mos asked for and received the Lord’s body from Pilate. They took it down from the Cross, wrapped it in linen cloths and spices, then laid it in a tomb, and then they placed a great stone over the entrance of the tomb.<\/p>\n

According to the Evangelist Matthew (27:57-61), Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joses (Mark 15:40) were there sitting opposite the sepulcher, and they saw where He had been laid. This other Mary was the Mother of God. Not only were these present, but also many other women, as Saint Luke says (24:10).<\/p>\n

Today the Church honors Saints Mary Magdalene (July 22), Mary the wife of Cleopas (May 23), Joanna (June 27), Salome, mother of the sons of Zebedee (August 3), Martha and Mary, sisters of Lazarus (June 4), and the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, who was the stepmother of her husband Joseph\u2019s sons James (October 23) and Joses (October 30). Today we also remember Saint Joseph of Arimathea (July 31), who was a secret disciple (John 19:38), and Saint \u039dik\u03ccd\u0113mos, who was a disciple by night (John 3:3; 19:38).<\/p>\n