Saints Simon and Jude: Those Who Have Been Sent
Christ left his peace to his
disciples and, through them, to the Church. This peace is to live according to
what is good.
have brought us to acknowledge your name,
graciously grant,
through the intercession of Saints Simon and Jude,
that the Church may constantly grow
by increase of the peoples who believe in you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal)
-This reflection has ben adapted from my book, From Season to Season: A Book of Saintly Wisdom.
The Apostles Simon and Jude Thaddeus have been honored with
a common feast since before the time of the Martyrologium Hieronymianum, a list of saints attributed to Saint Jerome that was composed in 6th century Gaul (modern-day France).
Simon, a native of Cana, who is most commonly known as “the
Zealot,” is said to have preached the Gospel in Egypt. Aside from his being
included in the lists of the apostles found in the New Testament, nothing more is
known of his life.
Saints Matthew, Jude Thaddeus, and Simon from "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci |
Jude, the celebrated patron of “impossible cases,” is
credited with having written the New Testament letter that bears his name.
Sitting near the Lord at the Last Supper, he asked Jesus why he manifested
himself only to the disciples, and not to the whole world. Jude’s question
prompted Jesus to offer a reply that is as mysterious as it is profound: “If a
man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will
come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:22-23). Saint Jude is also celebrated
for having preached the Gospel in Egypt and Mauritania. According to tradition,
he was martyred in Persia with Saint Simon, who is said to have joined him in
his labors. The supposed relics of these two Apostles are enshrined in St.
Peter’s Basilica.
Because we do not know many details of the lives of Simon
and Jude, we are left to reflect simply on what it means to be an apostle, sent
by Christ into the world, just as Christ himself was sent by the Father: “Accordingly, in affirming that they
are sent by him just as he was sent by the Father, Christ sums up in a few
words the approach they themselves should take to their ministry. From what he
said, they would gather that it was their vocation to call sinners to
repentance, to heal those who were sick in body and spirit, to seek in all
their dealings never to do their own will but the will of Him who sent them,
and, as far as possible, to save the world by their teaching” (Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of John 12, 1). The same mission of teaching, healing, and reconciling has been entrusted to each of us.
Prayer for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude +
O God, who by the blessed Apostleshave brought us to acknowledge your name,
graciously grant,
through the intercession of Saints Simon and Jude,
that the Church may constantly grow
by increase of the peoples who believe in you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal)
-This reflection has ben adapted from my book, From Season to Season: A Book of Saintly Wisdom.
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