Card. Gracias: Thomas, Apostle of India, help us in the pandemic

by Nirmala Carvalho

The celebration of the feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle. "His profession, 'My Lord and my God', Kyrios Theos is the clearest declaration of the divinity of Jesus in Sacred Scripture."

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Cardinal Oswald Gracias presided over the celebration for St. Thomas, Apostle of India, which was live streamed today. The Cardinal's daily mass has attracted one of the largest online following in the English-speaking world. Every day, in his homily, the Cardinal evangelizes and courageously teaches the Truth of Jesus.

The Cardinal has repeatedly spoken of "do to others as you would like to be done to you" an "Everest of ethics", which "goes beyond the realm of the norm and with the Spirit of Christ, can be a rule, a guide and a principle for a Christian lifestyle”.

This morning, July 3, in the homily, the Cardinal greeted all three rites. He wished all a happy feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle of India, who brought Jesus - for the first time - to India in 52, almost 1978 years ago. “We pray to St Thomas to strengthen our faith. We celebrate this Eucharist in communion with my brother Cardinal Allencherry of the Siromalabarese Church and my brother Cardinal Cleemis of the Siromalankarese Church, who trace their origin back to the evangelization of St. Thomas.”

We pray, he said again, “also for the rector of our archdiocesan seminary, the students (seminarians) and the staff, who make their "profession of faith" by saying: I believe in what the Holy Mother Church teaches and promising to teach what which the Church teaches. “Every year, on this day, I preside over the Eucharist at the seminary. Happy feast to the rector ”.

“Today is a great celebration for India, it is a solemnity for the Church in India. St. Thomas brought the faith to India in 52 AD, we had the privilege of one of the apostles coming to India. It is a privilege given by God to India, we must respond by being a religious people, a spiritual people moving towards Christ, towards our heavenly Father ”.

The name of Thomas appears in Matthew (10: 3), Mark (3:18), Luke (6) and Acts of the Apostles (1:13), but in the Gospel of John it plays a particularly significant part.

Thomas, faithful follower. "When Jesus announced that he would visit Lazarus in Judea, a few kilometers from Jerusalem and dangerously close for someone unpopular like him, Thomas said to his fellow disciples: 'Let us go too, in order to die with him.'"

“Thomas has always been a Seeker, a scholar of the Truth. Before the last supper, he asked Jesus 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, how do we know the way?' And Jesus said to Thomas: 'I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me "."

Thomas is called "a doubtful". At the lake of Tiberias Thomas was not present (in God's plan) when Jesus appeared on the eighth day - Jesus already sanctified this day as Domus Dei, the day of the offering of the Eucharist. And Jesus offers Thomas to touch his wounds ... St. Thomas passes from doubt to enlightenment, makes the leap of faith, Thomas does not touch the hands and the side of Jesus as Jesus invites him to do, but responds with the utmost acclamation or title for Jesus who is in the New Testament. Thomas makes his highest pronouncement - his profession, 'My Lord and my God', Kyrios Theos is the clearest declaration of the divinity of Jesus in Sacred Scripture. Kyrios which is YHWH in the old testament and theos, God "

"Thomas sees God completely revealed in Jesus. That's why Jesus is for Thomas 'My Lord and my God!' And he kneels and worships Jesus, Kyrios Theos."

There is nothing wrong with true doubt, what Thomas’ doubt was, you doubt when you do not accept anything, you doubt, with an attitude of mental closure. There is doubt, because you think you know everything, there are people who sincerely doubt, because they do not see fully clearly

Thomas did not doubt (as a negative term). Thomas searched for the truth without stopping. St. Thomas constantly asked questions, Thomas was brave. "We don't have all the answers, we should have questions, we should try to find the answers, but trying to understand our Faith more, study our Faith, understand the Word of God more, the whole Creed, should be studied in details, the articles of faith must be studied and prayed for and reflected upon, listening to the magisterium, receiving the sacraments and reading the Word of God, and in doing so we touch Jesus and say: 'My Lord and my God', committing ourselves totally to God”.