October 19, the church celebrates the day of memory of the Apostle Thomas Didymus

Thomas was a simple Galilean fisherman who, upon hearing Jesus’ call, left everything and followed him, becoming one of the 12 closest disciples. His name in Aramaic ("Thomas") and nickname in Greek ("Didim") mean the same thing - "twin". According to the ancient church tradition, he even outwardly resembled the Savior.

Why was Thomas known as an unbeliever? When Christ first appeared to the disciples, Thomas was not there. Hearing of the miracle, he demanded irrefutable proof: to see with his own eyes and touch the wounds from the nails. Jesus did not condemn him for his weakness, but appeared again, allowing him to touch his wounds. The apostle said, “My Lord and my God.”.

Thus God, through the image of Thomas, shows our nature: we all sometimes doubt and seek support. The main thing is not to get stuck in stubborn materialism, but, like the apostle, through doubts, to come to a sincere and living faith.

After the descent of the Holy Spirit, Thomas did not seek a quiet life. He carried the Gospel to Palestine, Mesopotamia, Ethiopia, and reached faraway India. There his path was cut short tragically: for converting to Christianity, the wife and son of the local ruler of the apostle was imprisoned, subjected to cruel torture and pierced with five spears.

The relics of St. Thomas have come a long historical way. Until the fourth century, they were stored in India, then transferred to Edessa (Mesopotamia). In 1143, to save the shrine from abuse, the Crusaders took it to the island of Chios. And in 1258, the Venetians brought the relics to the Italian city of Ortona, where they are kept in the local cathedral, attracting pilgrims from all over the world.

October 19 celebrate the name day: Ivan, Makar, Nikanor, Thomas.