There is something in me that wants to clear Thomas’ name. People through the ages have hung on this apostle the derogatory label “Doubting Thomas” for his caution concerning reports that Jesus had been raised from the dead, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and touch his side, I will not believe” (John 20.26). Given the ordeal the apostles had just endured, asking for more verification seems a valid request. When Thomas showed up a week later, Jesus took his appeal for additional proof seriously. Tradition has it that Thomas became an itinerant missionary and journeyed to India to share Christ. The Syro-Malabar Church may be the oldest continuing Christian community in the world, dating its inception to 52AD, the result of Thomas’ evangelistic efforts. Today, it numbers 4.6 million believers and shares full communion with the Catholic Church. Malabar refers to the area in India where they originated, and Syrian was the language they spoke. In the words of one historian, the Syro-Malabar Church was “Christian in faith, Syrian in language, and Indian in culture.” Comparable to other Christian communities, men and women worshipped on different sides of the sanctuary and consistent with Eastern tradition, left their shoes at the door. In harmony with Indian culture, brides arrived on their wedding day, normally a four-day affair, riding on elephants.
During the fourth century, a rich liturgical tradition emerged that became an organizing feature of their communal life. The liturgy centered on nine salvific acts of Jesus’ ministry, beginning with the Feast of the Nativity in December (the word “Christmas” or literally “Christ’s mass” came into prominence several centuries later). The season leading to the Nativity Feast was marked with fasting and prayer as they heeded John the Baptist’s call to prepare the way of the Lord. On December 25, believers carried lit candles at night to church in recognition of Jesus’ coming as light to the world. Today’s prayer was part of the Feast of the Nativity liturgy: