Wednesday in the
Octave of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
FEAST OF ST. THOMAS-DOG DAYS BEGIN
John, Chapter 20, Verse 26-28
26Now a
week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus
came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace* be with
you.” 27Then he
said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and
put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” 28Thomas
answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Thomas and the Disciples after the death of
Christ were afraid; very afraid. When Christ returns alive, he does not shame
them and Thomas. No, he gives them His peace. Therefor be at peace. If you like
Thomas have not believed; go to confession and proclaim afterward “My Lord and
my God!”
In Lock Down[1]
- The disciples
meet at a house. They lock all the doors because they're still afraid of
what might happen to them if the religious authorities find them. Probably
smart.
- Suddenly,
Jesus comes into the room and greets them.
- Surprise!
- He shows the
disciples the wounds on his hands and in his side, and the disciples are
thrilled to see him again.
- Jesus tells
them that they are being sent out, and then… he breathes on them. They
have now received the Holy Spirit and have the power to forgive the sins
of others. Pretty cool.
No Doubt
About It
- Thomas,
however, wasn't around to see any of this. Later, he rejoins the disciples
and they tell him everything. Thomas isn't buying it. He says that, until
he sees the nail marks and wounds on Jesus first-hand, he's not going to
believe their story. Thomas needs proof of life.
- A week later,
the disciples are meeting again in the same house and Thomas is there.
What could possibly happen? Oh yeah. Again, all the doors are locked, but
again, Jesus comes. Of course.
- He greets the
disciples and then tells Thomas that he's free to put his hand in the
wound in his side and shows him the nail marks on his hands.
- Jesus heard
what you said, Thomas. Don't you feel silly now? Jesus tells him not to
doubt, but to believe.
- Faced with
some pretty strong evidence, Thomas believes whole-heartedly. Duh.
- Jesus says
it's great that he believes, but it's even better when people who haven't seen him
believe. Like Christians are going to have to do for the next couple
millennia.
St.
Thomas was one of Jesus' disciples. He is best known for being the one disciple
who wanted proof of Jesus' resurrection. St. Thomas is celebrated with a feast
day in both the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. He is often referred to
as Doubting Thomas, and also the name The Twin. Many Christians see themselves
in St. Thomas because he doubted the resurrection until he received proof from
Christ himself. He also confessed to not understanding Jesus when Christ told
his disciples at the Last Supper that he was preparing a place for them.
St
Thomas Facts
·
An
early church text claims that Thomas was the only witness to the Assumption of
Mary into heaven. As her body entered heaven, she dropped her girdle.
Medieval art often depicts Thomas catching the girdle.
·
Thomas
didn't believe the apostles when they saw Jesus the first time after the
resurrection. He saw Jesus himself during his second appearance and touched
the wounds on his hands and side (John 20:24-29).
·
Church
tradition says that Thomas traveled to eastern lands, including Persia, to
evangelize to the people there about Jesus. He is thought to have settled
in India.
·
The
feast day is held July 3, but sermons the following Sunday may also mention St.
Thomas and faith. Originally the feast day for St. Thomas was on Dec. 21, the
shortest day of the year. All sorts of traditions surrounded the day,
including serving meat pies and charitable giving.
St
Thomas Top Events and Things to Do
·
Read
writings by St. Thomas. Several early church documents bearing Thomas'
name are popular, including the Gospel of Thomas, which is a collection of
Jesus' sayings. Other texts include the Acts of Thomas and the Infancy
Gospel of Thomas. None of these texts were included in the Bible.
·
Thousands
of Indians claim to be descendants of the Christians that Thomas helped to
convert. Join them on a pilgrimage in Paylador to the traditional spot of
Thomas' tomb, Our Lady of Lourdes Cathedral of the Syro-Malabar Archdiocese of
Trichur (Kerala, India).
·
If
you are a single woman try an
ancient custom performed on the Feast of St. Thomas to get an idea who you will
marry. Unmarried Austrian women would climb into bed over a stool, throw
their shoes with toes pointing downward toward the bedroom door, and then sleep
with their head at the foot of the bed. Women who performed this ritual
were thought to dream about their future husbands.
·
Say
a blessing prayer for your property on the feast of St. Thomas. An
ancient custom was for farmers and their sons or hands to drive off evil
spirits in preparation for Christmas. They were sprinkling holy water
across the land, while other family members stayed inside and prayed the
rosary.
Daily Devotions
* A person with fear of
the Lord is filled with peace, faith, hope and love.
[1]
https://www.shmoop.com/john-gospel/chapter-20-summary.html
Comments
Post a Comment