Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
Today, as we celebrate the feasts of the apostles Simon and Jude, our readings speak loudly about our call to discipleship and our membership in the communion of saints. I have been a member of many teams, organizations, groups, clubs, and communities throughout my life, all having shaped and formed me in various ways. Many of these groups were/are steeped in tradition and rich history. For instance, I work at a Catholic school that has served the Dayton community for nearly 175 years and is rooted in the charisms of two religious orders who passionately serve others in an effort to bring Christ to the world (the Marianists) and proclaim God’s goodness (the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur). As an organization, we stand on the foundation of the mission, the vision, and the wisdom of our founders, particularly St. Julie Billiart–foundress of the SNDdeN, and Blessed William Joseph Chaminade–founder of the Society of Mary.
I’m a bit of a romantic when it comes to Catholic mission and tradition. I’m a person who gets chills when I think about the power of the communion of saints–the divine membership into which God draws us. St. Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians, that we are "members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone." (Eph 2:19b-20) The entire Church represents an apostolic community, continuing Christ’s ministry. The gospel story today is the selection of the twelve disciples that Jesus names to be his apostles. Yet, when we dig into the meaning of the apostolic succession that is rooted in this part of the story, we might come to the realization that this is the foundation on which our discipleship stands. Through our baptism, we are called and sent to live out the gospel message in our daily lives in the same way Christ identified the twelve. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “The whole Church is apostolic, in that she remains, through the successor of St. Peter and the other apostles, in communion of faith and life with her origin; and that she is sent out into the whole world” (No. 863).
It is also striking to consider the make-up of the twelve apostles. We don’t know much detail about several of them, but we do know that they included unfinished and imperfect people, and dare we say, unlikely candidates for the label of holiness. Jesus chose a reckless fisherman, a tax collector, a zealot, two hot headed “sons of thunder”, and Judas Iscariot (who would betray Jesus). However, we should be reminded that holiness is not an elite designation for a few individuals, but a gift from God. Holiness is not granted based on merit, personality, special effort, or grand achievement. God brings divinity into our humanity and wants holiness for everyone.
Let us counter the many distractions of this world that attempt to divert our attention from our call to discipleship. May we dwell on the relevance of Christ in our lives through our prayer and action. Let us make time for Him. Peace, justice, and compassion shape our call to discipleship–think like Jesus, talk like Jesus, act like Jesus.
Peace,
Brandon Meyer