St. Mary Magdalene St. Mary Magdalene is mentioned in all the New Testament Gospels and she is also called Mary of Magdala. She was a very close disciple of Jesus and she was present at the foot of the cross on which Jesus was crucified as mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew 27:56, Mark 15:40 and John 19:23. She was also present when the holy body of Jesus was buried in the tomb by Joseph of Aramathea as per Matthew 27:61 and also Mark 15:47. She also went to the tomb of Jesus (also with others) on the early morning of the third day of Jesus' death and found the tomb empty. In the tomb it was informed to her by \'two men in clothes that gleaned like lightening\' that Jesus has resurrected. She immediately ran away and informed St. Peter and St. John about the resurrection of Jesus. They did not believe her but ran toward the tomb of Jesus and found the tomb empty and left the tomb in confusion. It seems Mary Magdalene also followed the two apostles but reached the tomb later after the two apostles left the tomb. On reaching the tomb she started weeping. Jesus, standing behind her and asked \'Woman why are you crying, who are you looking?\' She, thinking that the person must be the gardener, requested him to return the body of Jesus, if he had taken it from there. Then Jesus said \'Mary\'. She turned and said to him \'Rabbouni\'. Jesus gave the rare privilege of appearing first to Mary Magdalene only, after His resurrection (John 20:11\-18). She got this privilege of meeting the resurrected Jesus because she waited at the tomb for some long time to know about Jesus, unlike the two apostles who left the tomb quickly with confusion. Some historians say that after 14 years of the death of Jesus, the Jews put Mary Magdalene and some other Christians in a boat without any sails or oars. They drifted out to the sea and reached the shores of Southern France. Mary Magdalene spent the rest of her life there in a cave known as Sainte\-Baume. She was given the holy Eucharist daily by the angels and that was her only food. Legend says that she was transported miraculously to the chapel of St. Maximin just before her death and there she received her last sacraments. Pope Benedict\-XVI spoke about Mary Magdalene in his address before the Angelus, referring her as \'a disciple of the Lord who plays a lead role in the Gospel\'. #deciple #follower #genderneutral #Catholic #faith #trust #women #gospel #lead #Jesus #christ #believers #brother #sister #family leader #leadroll #hero

St. Thomas the Apostle St. Thomas was one of the apostles of Jesus and he was also called \'Doubting Thomas\'. Even though St. Thomas entertained doubt about any miracle that happened without his presence, he was a very staunch believer of Christ. One day when Jesus was preparing to go to Judea to see the ailing Lazarus and other apostles advised Jesus not to go to Judea as the Jews may again stone Jesus, St. Thomas only said \'Let us go, that we may die with him\' (John11:16). St. Thomas is said to be the only witness to the Assumption of Holy Virgin Mary into heaven. When the Holy Mary died, St. Thomas was held up elsewhere in missionary work but after her burial St. Thomas was taken to her tomb, where he witnessed her bodily assumption into heaven and she dropped her Girdle to St. Thomas. Other apostles did not believe the bodily assumption of Holy Mary into heaven as told by St. Thomas until they saw the empty tomb and the girdle of Virgin Mary. Tradition says St. Thomas landed at the ancient port of Muzris, in Kodungalloor, in the Malabar Coast in India, at about 52 A.D. with the main intention of preaching the gospel to the Jews who lived there. When Jesus said during the discourse in the Last Supper that He was going to prepare a place for them (apostles), St. Thomas raised a doubt \'Lord, we know not where you go, and how can we know the way?\'. Jesus then declared \'I am the way, truth and life\' (John 14:1\-6). Only due to the doubt raised by St. Thomas, Jesus declared to the mankind that He is the only way to go to heaven for any one. When other apostles announced the resurrection of Jesus, St. Thomas said \'Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails and put my hand into His side, I will not believe\' (John 20:25). But when Jesus appeared after eight days and gently rebuked St. Tomas for his disbelief, Thomas Knelt down and said \'My Lord, My God\'. St. Tomas was also one of the seven apostles who were fishing on the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus appeared to them. St. Thomas was killed by piercing his body with a spear on December 21, 72 near Chennai, Tamil Nadu India. #patronsaintofIndia #patron #saint #india #faith #vocation #Thomas #deciple #proclaim #trust #practical #belief #witness #fact #world #indianchristianday #Christian #3rdjuly #july