One of the 12 apostles chosen by Jesus, we honor Saint Thomas today, also known as Didymus, the Twin, who is very much revered in India, especially in southern India, in the Kerala district. He is known to have ministered in India before his martyrdom. According to tradition, the Apostle reached Muziris, India in 52 AD and baptized several people who are today known as St Thomas Christians or Nasranis. After his death, the reputed relics of Saint Thomas the Apostle were enshrined as far as Mesopotamia in the 3rd century, and later moved to various places. In 1258, some of the relics were brought to Abruzzo in Ortona, Italy, where they have been held in the Church of Saint Thomas the Apostle. But Thomas, as faithful as he was to his Master, will always be remembered for his incredulity when Jesus was risen from the dead, and would not believe until he saw with his eyes, and touched with his hands the wounds of Jesus. Then he uttered a very popular phrase “My Lord and my God.” This is a common expression phrase many people use during the elevation of the Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ during Mass. One of the most famous paintings of St Thomas is the one by Caravaggio, precisely at the moment when he places his finger in the side of Jesus after the Resurrection.
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