St. Thomas Pretends to be Deranged

"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."

"Hymn of Praise: St. Thomas the Discerner"

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

St. Thomas the Fool-for-Christ (6th c.), whose feast is April 24, was a monk in one of the monasteries in Caesarea of Cappadocia. His obedience was to collect alms for the monastery. When Thomas went to Syria, he began to act in strange and foolish ways for the sake of Christ. The steward of one of the churches, Anastasius, became annoyed and struck him on the cheek. Both men died the next day. St. Thomas was known to perform many miracles, especially after his death.

Some material for this post, including the artist rendition of St. Thomas (above left), has been sourced from Saint Thomas the Fool for Christ of Syria (+ 6th cent.)