Prologue in Sermons: October 6

House Not Made With Hands

October 6

(Homily on the Holy Apostle Thomas)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

I will tell you the following story from the life of Saint Thomas the Apostle. After the Ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven and the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles cast lots to determine where each would go to preach the word of God. Thomas was assigned Parthia, Media, and India, and he began to prepare for his journey. Meanwhile, at that very time, an Indian merchant named Avan came to Jerusalem, seeking an artist to build a magnificent house for his king. He met the Apostle. Thomas told him that he himself was a skilled builder and set off with him to India. Arriving before the king, Thomas offered his services, and the king, believing him to be a truly skilled artist, entrusted him with the construction of the building and, after indicating the location, gave him a considerable sum of gold and silver for expenses. Taking the money, the Apostle distributed it to the poor, and instead of building a palace, he began to zealously spread the word of God. Some time later, someone told the king, who wanted to know how the work was progressing, that the roof was already under construction. Overjoyed by this news, the king sent Thomas an even greater amount of gold than before. The Apostle distributed this to the poor, but the palace was still not built. Finally, it was revealed to the king that Thomas was deceiving him, and the king, blazing with anger, immediately ordered him to be brought before him and he cried out, "Where is the house you were supposed to build?" The Apostle replied that the house was not here, but that he would see it after death and only then would he take possession of it. The king, seeing Thomas's words as mockery towards himself, ordered him thrown into prison, where he was threatened with a terrible fate. However, in reality, things turned out differently. The king's beloved brother fell dangerously ill and during his illness had the following vision. He was shown the dwellings of the saints and asked to choose the one he particularly liked. When he had selected one of the best and pointed to it, the angel accompanying him told him he could not occupy that dwelling because it had already been prepared for his brother, the king. Coming to his senses, he reported his vision to the king, who, convinced that the Apostle was truly preparing a heavenly dwelling for him, rather than an earthly one, immediately commanded to release him and, falling at his feet, begged his forgiveness. Saint Thomas then instructed him in the Christian faith and baptized him.

The Origin of the Gold-Diamond Cross on the Sacred Skull of the Apostle Thomas

 

Saint Thomas the Apostle is commemorated with honor and splendor by our Church today (October 6th). We in Patmos have the blessing of hosting his honorable and miraculous skull in the Sacred Monastery of Saint John the Theologian. It came to Patmos from the Metochion of Patmos in Chios, dedicated to the Apostle Thomas to protect it from the Genoese who eventually occupied the island (1346-1566) and since then it has been established as a symbol of our homeland.

As is known, when the Apostle Thomas traveled to the region of India as a missionary, he baptized into the faith of Christ the wife and children of the king, and the king, enraged, gave the order for him to be killed by being speared. His sacred relic remained there until the son of Constantine the Great transferred it to Constantinople. In 1204 the relic was transferred to Rome along with other Saints stolen as spoils from the Fourth Crusade. Ephraim the Syrian reports that the relics of the Apostle Thomas were first transferred to Edessa or Antioch in Mesopotamia.