Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
In our Christian faith, the twelve apostles hold a special place of distinction. They were Jesus’ closest associates, and the ones he entrusted with mission. Today we celebrate the feast of two of these apostles, St. Simon (known as the Zealot) and St. Jude. Very little is known about either of these apostles, though there are various traditions associated with them. St. Jude, for example, is known as the cousin of the Lord and is regarded as the patron of hopeless causes.
Our readings for this feast are appropriate for two apostles who devoted their lives to spreading the gospel. In the first reading from Ephesians, Paul explains the transformation that comes with becoming a Christian. It is a beautiful image of the Church, the body of Christ, with Jesus the Christ as the capstone, all coming together to be one structure whose function is to worship and serve the Lord. This Church was founded by the apostles, such as Simon and Jude whose work and martyrdom for the faith inspired many to believe in Jesus. “Their message goes out through all the earth,” is the refrain for today’s responsorial psalm, and this is a good reminder of the work done by the apostles. They did go out through all the earth, at a time when Christians were a little known and little regarded sect, at a time when Christians often found themselves being persecuted for their beliefs and way of life.
Simon and Jude embraced the challenge of evangelization because they felt obliged. They could not keep the good news of the gospel – Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection – to themselves. They had to share it with others. As I mentioned before, little is known of these apostles that we can say with certainty. Rather, their Christian lives were like salt – the salt that flavors something to make it taste good, but yet is not so overwhelming that we notice it when we eat, thinking to ourselves that the dish is too salty. In other words, Simon and Jude passed unnoticed in many ways, but on the other hand they were the all-important salt that added flavor.
We too are called to be like Simon and Jude. We are called to spread the gospel message. Much of what we do in our Christian lives may pass unnoticed, and people may not remember the details of our lives as great and holy saints. But if we allow ourselves to be transformed by the gospel, by our being Christian, we will be the salt of the earth. We will be crucial to the Kingdom of God, the necessary but unnoticed salt. Today, let us pray that our lives be transformed by Christ. Like St. Jude and St. Simon, may we undertake to spread the gospel by the way we live our lives. Sts. Jude and Simon, pray for us!
- Maria Morrow