Episode Transcript  

One

St. Thomas the Apostle 

About ten years after the death and Resurrection of Jesus, King Herod unleashed a violent persecution against the Christian community in Jerusalem. He put to death the Apostle James, and then most of the Apostles were scattered. They were propelled out of their comfort zone and sent on a mission by this persecution. 

At this time, the Apostle Thomas travelled from Jerusalem to Damascus in Syria and then eastward, preaching the Gospel and establishing the Catholic Church in towns along the way in Persia or modern-day Iraq and Iran until he arrived in Punjab, Pakistan, twenty miles north-west of Islamabad, where he planted Catholicism. 

Around the year 50, he was recalled to Jerusalem by the Holy Spirit to be present with the other Apostles for the Assumption of Mary. After this, Thomas went by way of the Red Sea to Yemen, then to the island of Socotra, where he established Catholicism. From there, he sailed across the Arabian Sea to western India, to Kerala in 52 AD. 

Thomas went with no companions to be the only Christian on the entire continent of Asia. Yet he was not alone. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.” Thomas was not alone, Jesus and Mary were with him. You and I are never alone. Jesus and Mary are always with us. 

Two

Thomas and Mary

One of my favorite events surrounding the life of St. Thomas has to do with the Assumption of Mary. As I said, around the year 50, the Holy Spirit recalled Thomas with the rest of the Apostles to Jerusalem to be present at two important events: the Assumption of Mary and the first Council of the Church, found in Acts 15. 

However, like Easter Sunday, Thomas was not present for the Assumption. He arrived too late, just as he was the Resurrection, and he missed it (but let’s give him a break, he was coming from Pakistan after all.) 

He was distraught that he missed his mother’s Assumption. However, like the Resurrection, eight days later, Mary appeared to Thomas, assuring him of her maternal love and care. She gave him her mantle or cloak, signifying her motherly presence that would never fail him. 

Three

Martyrdom 

Having established Catholicism on the western coast of India, Thomas then traveled east to Chennai. Nearby was a temple of Kali, the Satanic goddess of death and dismemberment, patroness of stranglers. (I am not making this stuff up.) Without the light of Christ, the world becomes enslaved to the demons of darkness. We are once again falling into this darkness.

In 72 AD, twenty years after he arrived in India, Thomas was praying in a cave on a hill called the Little Mount, where Brahmins from the temple of Kali attacked him by piercing him in the heart with a lance. There, Thomas was buried, and Indian Christians have venerated his tomb ever since. 

Almost forty years earlier, when Jesus told the Apostles he was going to Jerusalem, they were afraid because they knew of the plots to kill him, but Thomas spoke up with courage and love, saying, “Let us go to Jerusalem and die with him.” Thomas said this in 33 AD. Now he had done so, not in Jerusalem but Chennai, overlooking the Bay of Bengal, more than 3000 miles from home. There, he brought the light of Christ to scatter the darkness of the kingdom of Satan and death. 

Four

Built to Last 

Thomas the Apostle established the Catholic Church in southwestern India in the middle of the first century.

At that time, both land and sea trade routes connected the Roman Empire and India. But after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 400s and the rise of Islam in the 600s, direct contact between India and Europe declined sharply. For nearly 1,000 years, India was largely cut off from Western Europe, as Muslim powers controlled most overland and maritime trade routes. As a result, the churches founded by St. Thomas were largely isolated from direct contact with Rome for almost a millennium.

Then, in the 16th century, when St. Francis Xavier sailed from Lisbon to bring the Gospel to India, what did he find when he stepped off the boat? Catholics. The Church. The Mass. Devotion to Mary. He asked them, “Where did you come from?” They answered, “From the Apostle Thomas.”

I know a priest from the Malabar region of India. The Catholics there are still known as Thomas Christians, because they trace their faith back to the Apostle. His home parish, considered a relatively new one, was founded in the year 999. Why is this so significant? Because it’s historical proof that Jesus Christ founded one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church, and the Apostles, like St. Thomas, truly did take it to the ends of the earth.

Five

Holy Protection 

Before he left for India, Thomas entrusted the cloak or mantle Mary gave him to the Church in Jerusalem for safekeeping. In the 5th century, it was brought to Constantinople, and the Church of Blacherne was built to house this special relic. By 638 A.D., Islam controlled the Middle East. In 717, a vast Muslim army encircled Constantinople, the gateway to Europe, vowing to crush the city and extinguish Christianity. When hope seemed lost, Patriarch Germanus reminded the faithful that Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant, would protect them. Just as the ancient Ark toppled Jericho’s walls, Mary’s mantle could topple the massive Muslim armada.

On the 15th August, 718, the Feast of Mary’s Assumption, Germanus brought the Mantle of Mary from the Church of Blachernae. Torches flared along the ramparts as clergy and crowds processed with the mantle, chanting the Akathist Hymn. Suddenly, a fierce northern gale ripped across the harbor: ships shattered, siege engines sank, and panic swept the besiegers. The invaders fled and only a handful of ships limped home.

Constantinople stood secure, and Muslim expansion stalled for seven centuries. Ever since, the Eastern Church has celebrated October as the Feast of Pokrov, the Protection of the Mother of God, honoring the night Mary’s mantle spread over her people and turned certain defeat into stunning victory.

From Thomas down to this day, countless people have experienced the protection of Mary. That is why the last thing I do before I go to sleep is to place all of my loved ones by name under the protective mantle of Mary, consecrating them to her. 

Suggested Resolutions:

Choose one resolution for today to help you grow closer to God, or create your own. Here are some ideas to inspire you. 

• Thomas traveled thousands of miles to spread the faith, but often we won’t even step outside of our own homes to share it with others. This week, make the effort to spend time with others, no matter the distance, whether you’re praying the rosary together or just spending time in good conversation.

• Each day, place your loved ones under the protective mantle of Mary, consecrating them to her.

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