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| St. Thomas the Fool for Christ (Feast Day - April 24) |
Saint Thomas the Fool for Christ was a monk in one of the monasteries in Caesarea of Cappadocia. He lived an exceptionally virtuous life but was afraid that he might fall into pride due to the praise of others. In order to hide his virtue, he began to imitate the lives of the fools for Christ. Although others believed that Thomas was careless and foolish, the abbot of the monastery knew of his hidden virtue and sometimes gave him great responsibilities. His obedience was to collect alms for the monastery. Thus Thomas was sent to the city of Antioch in Syria to collect alms, since the monastery owned property in a village there.
The steward of one of the churches, a certain Anastasios became annoyed with Saint Thomas who would beg on the streets on behalf of his monastery, and struck him on the cheek. Those present reproached Anastasios for his inappropriate manner of dealing with the fool, but Saint Thomas quieted them, saying, “From this moment I shall accept nothing further from Anastasios, nor will Anastasios be able to give me anything further.” These words proved prophetic. Anastasios died the very next day, and the Saint also died at the Church of Saint Euthymios in the Antiochian suburb of Daphne, where he had gone to pray. They buried him at a place set aside for the burial of strangers.
After a certain while they buried a woman in the Saint’s grave. After four hours the ground on the grave of the stranger cast her out. They again covered the grave, but in the morning the ground on the grave again lay open with her body cast out. They thus reburied the woman in another place.
The same thing happened when they buried another woman there. Everyone realized that Saint Thomas did not wish to have anyone buried over him. The occurrence was reported to Patriarch Domnus of Antioch (546-560). At his command the relics of Saint Thomas were transferred to Antioch with great honors and celebration and placed in a cemetery where the relics of many holy martyrs rested. A small tomb was built over these relics, from which many healings occurred.
Through the prayers of Saint Thomas a deadly plague ceased at Antioch. From that time the inhabitants began to honor the memory of Saint Thomas every year.
HYMN OF PRAISE:
SAINT THOMAS THE DISCERNER
SAINT THOMAS THE DISCERNER
By St. Nikolai Velimirovich
Saint Thomas pretends to be deranged
For the sake of Christ, his Savior,
And God, he glorifies in his heart,
The only One, the Creator of the world,
God's name is in his heart,
Have mercy upon me O Good God!
By this, he nourishes his soul:
Have mercy upon me O Good God!
Holy Thomas is not concerned
What the world about him will say,
Let the world rant, let it threaten,
The true judgment, God will pronounce.
Whoever pleased the world
Before God was found to be false,
And Thomas smiled
At the world which pretends to be important.
O you shadow, above the water,
Why do you pretend to be so important?
All reality is in the Lord
When yourself, you consider as nothing,
With that, you will glorify Him.