Venerable Thomas the Fool for Christ (VI)

The Venerable Thomas the Fool for Christ (+c. 546–560) was a monk of one of the monasteries of Caesarea in Cappadocia. He was charged with collecting offerings for the monastery. Having come to Antioch of Syria for this purpose, the blessed father took on the labour of foolishness for Christ.

Anastasius, the steward of one of the churches, grew tired of the Venerable Thomas going about with outstretched hand, and struck him in the face. Those who saw this reproached Anastasius for his rudeness, but the Venerable Thomas calmed them and said: “From now on I will receive nothing from Anastasius, nor will he be able to give anything.” These words proved prophetic. The next day Anastasius died, while the Venerable Thomas, returning to the monastery, died on the way, in the church of Saint Euthymius in the suburb of Daphne. He was buried in the cemetery for strangers. Some time later a woman was buried on the Venerable Thomas’s grave. Four hours later the earth threw up the coffin. The same thing happened when the dead woman was buried again, and at the burial of another woman as well. Domnus, Patriarch of Antioch (546–560), was told of what had happened. With his blessing the venerable father’s relics were translated to Antioch and laid in the burial vault where the relics of many saints rested. Later a small church was built on this spot.

Through prayers offered to the Venerable Thomas an epidemic of plague in Antioch ceased. From that time the people of Antioch celebrated the day of Saint Thomas’s commemoration every year.