Ginbot 26 — June 03

Saint Thomas the Apostle

Today we remember Saint Thomas, one of Jesus' twelve apostles, the close helpers He sent out to teach the whole world about Him. People also called him "Didymus," which means "Twin."

Thomas traveled far away to a country called India to tell everyone the good news about Jesus. There he worked for a leader named Lucius. When Lucius asked what jobs Thomas could do, Thomas said he was a builder, a carpenter, and a healer. While the leader was away, Thomas taught the leader's wife and many people in the house about God, and they came to love Jesus.

When Lucius came home, he asked, "Where are the fine buildings you said you would make?" Thomas had an answer Lucius did not expect. He had not built houses of stone. He had been building something better: people's hearts, turning them into homes for God.

His real tools, Thomas said, were the Holy Gospels, the books that tell us about Jesus, and the Holy Communion, the gift of Jesus' love that heals us inside. Through Thomas, many people learned to love God. Even when wicked people tried to stop him, God kept him safe and healed him, and at the end Thomas went home to be with God forever.

The temples and palaces I have built for you are the souls who have become homes for the King of glory.— Saint Thomas

A Joyful Miracle of Saint Thomas

Here is something that happened long after Thomas lived. A kind priest from Egypt sailed to India to trade. He arrived on Ginbot 26, the night before the feast of Saint Thomas.

There was a church on a little island in the middle of a river. On the feast day, a strong wind came and pushed the water aside, opening a path so all the people could walk across to the island church.

Inside, the people prayed all night long. The next morning they shared the Holy Communion together. Then God let them place the Holy Body of our Lord into the hand of Saint Thomas himself. His hand was still whole and alive, even after all these years. One by one, the people came and received the gift from his blessed hand.

When everyone had finished and gone home in peace, the wind came back and laid the water down in its place again. People say this happens every single year, a reminder that God's love never runs out.

Alphaeus the Martyr

Saint Alphaeus is also remembered today. He is called a martyr, which means he stayed true to God even when it cost him everything. He never gave up on God, and now he lives with Him in heaven. We thank God for brave friends like Alphaeus who showed us how to be faithful.

Zacharias the Quiet Friend of God

Saint Zacharias was an anchorite. That means he lived all by himself, far from the noise of town, and spent his days talking to God in prayer.

He chose a peaceful, simple life so he could listen to God and pray for everyone. People like Zacharias remind us that being quiet and praying is a gift we can give to God too.

Saint Arsonwa, the Wife of Lucius

Last of all comes Saint Arsonwa, the wife of the leader Lucius from the story of Saint Thomas. She was one of the very first people in her land to believe in Jesus when Thomas taught her.

God answered the prayers of Saint Thomas for Arsonwa. When sad things happened, Thomas prayed in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and God gave her new life. She opened her eyes, stood up, and gave thanks to God. Her whole family and the whole city saw it, and they came to love Jesus too. We greet Saint Arsonwa with joy, for she believed and was made well by God's love.

Arsonwa, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, rise up!— Saint Thomas