St. Thomas, Apostle (21 December): Butler's Lives of the Saints

About this sermon

The Life of St Thomas the Apostle as recorded in The Lives of the Saints by Fr. Alban Butler, commemorated on December 21st in the Latin Church. Known forever as “Doubting Thomas,” this Apostle’s story is not one of disbelief—but of honest struggle, deep love, and perfect faith. From his courageous declaration, “Let us go also, that we may die with Him,” to his profound confession, “My Lord and my God,” St Thomas stands as a powerful witness to Christ’s divinity, resurrection, and mercy. This reading explores: The meaning of St Thomas’ name (Didymus – “the Twin”) His doubts after the Resurrection and Christ’s merciful response Why his doubt strengthened the Church’s faith His confession as one of the clearest declarations of Christ’s divinity His apostolic mission to the East, including Parthia and India His martyrdom by lance and the veneration of his relics The enduring legacy of the Christians of St Thomas in India St Thomas reminds us that faith is not the absence of struggle, but perseverance in humility, prayer, and love. 📖 “Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) 0:00 – Introduction & Source (Butler, Lives of the Saints) 0:52 – Meaning of the Name Thomas (Didymus, the Twin) 1:09 – St Thomas Called as an Apostle 1:31 – “Let Us Also Go, That We May Die With Him” 2:01 – “Lord, We Know Not Whither Thou Goest” 2:16 – “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” 3:00 – Thomas Absent After the Resurrection 3:20 – Christ Appears and Invites Thomas to Touch His Wounds 4:25 – “My Lord and My God” – Perfect Confession of Faith 5:56 – Why Thomas’ Doubt Strengthened Our Faith 6:14 – Christ’s Two Natures: Humanity and Divinity 7:05 – Mission to King Abgar of Edessa 8:13 – St Thomas’ Apostolic Mission to the East 9:03 – Preaching in India and Tradition of Martyrdom 9:36 – Death by Lance and Translation of Relics 10:53 – Veneration of St Thomas in the Early Church 12:08 – Christians of St Thomas in India 14:10 – Feast Days of St Thomas in East and West 14:21 – Spiritual Reflection on Worldly Detachment 16:24 – Apostles as Foundations of the Church 16:50 – Closing Reflection on Faith and Gratitude https://sensusfidelium.com/the-lives-of-the-fathers-martyrs-and-other-principal-saints/december/st-thomas-apostle/ Get Butler's Lives of the Saints here: https://loretopublications.idevaffiliate.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=102&url=1 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.com for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium 🔴 Truth Social - @SensusFidelium ▶ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #StThomasTheApostle #CatholicSaints #LivesOfTheSaints #MyLordAndMyGod #CatholicFaith #ChurchHistory #Apostles #