Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles, Oct 28
Ephesians 2:19-22 / Luke 6:12-19
We are part of a holy building; Christ holds the building together.
Before the move, many people doubted whether the 80-year-old brick structure would be able to make the journey safely. But the grand old building held up beautifully. “'It didn't creak, groan, or budge an inch," said the happy mover.
Paul uses the image of a building to describe the Church in
today's reading. The Church is a noble structure that has held up beautifully
in its journey across the centuries. The reason? Through Christ "the whole
structure is held together.”
***
How great is our own personal faith in Christ's preserving
presence in the Church? “[The church) is (Christ's] body, the fullness of the
one who fills all things in every way.” Eph 1:23
***
Saint Simon the Zealot (1st century): Practically
nothing is known for certain about the life of this saint — where he preached
the Gospel, where he died, and whether he suffered martyrdom; even his tomb is
unknown. But his suffix “the Zealot” has been interpreted to mean either that,
as a lawyer, he had a special zeal for the Mosaic Law, or that he was a member
of the party of zealous patriots who were preparing to throw off the hated yoke
of the Romans.
The Greeks and the Copts have a tradition that St Simon was
the bridegroom at the marriage feast at Cana in Galilee, where Our Lord
performed his first public miracle. He is the patron of wood-cutters and
tanners.
St Jude Thaddeus (1st century): St Jude was the
brother of St James the Less and thus a cousin of our Lord. He is the author of
the last canonical epistle of which Origen stated that it “contains strong
doctrine in a few lines.” It was to Jude’s question during the Last Supper that
our Lord replied that he manifests himself only to those who are faithful in
keeping his commandments (cfr. Jn14:23-24).
There is a tradition that Jude preached the faith mainly in
Palestine, but later went to Persia and Armenia, and suffered martyrdom there.
The Emperor Domitian once had St Jude’s grandsons brought from Galilee to Rome,
but released them when he realized that they were not political rivals. Owing
to the similarity of his name to that of Judas Iscariot, Jude Thaddeus was
rarely invoked in prayer, which makes it seem likely that seeking his intercession
was seen as a final resort when all else failed. It is thus
that his popularity as the patron saint of lost causes has greatly increased in
recent times.
The lives of the Apostles, Sts Simon and Jude, are shrouded
in obscurity and uncertainty. Yet their very closeness to the Lord Jesus as
sharers in the great work of redemption is a reminder to us that holiness, from
which stems happiness, comes from following closely in the footsteps of Jesus
Christ rather than in being known.
***
Reflection: “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you
too; if they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours too. But they will do all
this to you because you are mine” (Jesus - Jn 15:20-21).
***
Some ancient Christian writings have it that St. Simon and St. Jude went together as missionaries to Persia, and were martyred there. This may explain the lack of historical information on them and also why their feast days are usually put together. Even the gospel accounts do not say much about them.
St. Simon is called the Zealot (or Zealous) maybe because of his patriotism and nationalism. St. Jude is traditionally depicted carrying the image of Jesus in his hand or close to his chest, which according to some accounts, was used to preach the Good News Devotional prayers to St. Jude helped people, especially newly arrived immigrants from Europe to the US, deal with the pressures caused by the Great Depression and World War II and other political and economic and social changes.
St. Jude is also invoked as the patron saint of desperate cases. So even though we may not know much about the historical facts of these two saints, we know that they are praying for us. We also have recourse to them in our needs, especially to the intercession of St. Jude. They also remind us that we have to keep faith in Jesus and trust in Him always.
They even laid down their lives for Jesus in order to
witness to Him. May we also put forth our needs through the intercession of St.
Simon and St. Jude, and may we also offer our lives to God in this Mass.
***
Jesus goes up the mountain to pray because the solitude
helps him to be in touch with his Father. Many important events of Jesus’ life
take place on the mountains. We can call them the ‘high points’ of Jesus’ life.
Jesus is tempted on the Mount of Temptation; the best sermon of his life is
preached on the Mount of Beatitudes; his Transfiguration takes place on Mount
Tabor and finally, he sacrifices his life on Mount Calvary. Choosing the
disciples is an important event in his life. He considers a mountain as a
challenge and not a hindrance on our path to God. Am I ready to face the
challenge of climbing the Mount of God’s presence?
***
Christ holds the building together. It could happen only in Texas. Someone bought the famous Fairmount Hotel in San Antonio and moved it to a new location.
Before the move, many people doubted whether the 80-year-old brick structure would be able to make the journey safely. But the grand old building held up beautifully. “'It didn't creak, groan, or budge an inch," said the happy mover.
Paul uses the image of a building to describe the Church in today's reading. The Church is a noble structure that has held up beautifully in its journey across the centuries. The reason? Through Christ "the whole structure is held together.”
How great is our own personal faith in Christ's preserving
presence in the Church? “[The church) is (Christ's] body, the fullness of the
one who fills all things in every way.” Ephesians 1:23
***
Prayer
Lord our God, as we celebrate your apostles Simon and Jude, we remember how your Son could build his Church on weak and fallible people and make these its firm foundations. We pray with your Son that our faith may remain unshaken in your Church and in those who lead it. As they struggle and grope, let your Spirit fill them with his wisdom and his fire. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
