Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
It seems to me that in today’s world, many people are searching for meaning in their lives. In this search, some try to root themselves in material possessions or in themselves as individuals. Others explore a variety of spiritualities and religions, hoping to find some sort of spiritual rootedness. Often these explorations focus on where and to whom we belong. Today’s first reading helps us recall that we belong to God. We have a home in God that is built upon the foundations of Christ and what the Apostles taught us about Him. The first reading challenges us to reflect on where and what we base our lives on. Is it on God or something else?
Additionally, in the first reading, St. Paul tells the Ephesians, “Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” He tells them that the Holy Spirit lives in them as a collective. That is true of us today. Due to hyperindividualism in American culture, we often forget or don’t realize that we cannot be Christian without others, without community. We learn about discipleship and what it means to be Christian from each other. This community extends to those who have gone before us. The readings teach us that we are to learn from Apostles like Sts. Simon and Jude whose feast day is today. I think of others who have taught me to be a Catholic Christian, such as my parents, fellow volunteers in ministry, professors, and other Marianist Sisters. Do you have people like that in your life? What impact do they have on you?
As the Synod on Synodality draws to a close and the first reading reminds us that the Holy Spirit is present not just in our individual lives but also in the community, I would like to end this reflection with the Adsumus Sancte Spiritus (Latin: “We stand before You, Holy Spirit”), a prayer that was prayed at the beginning of every session of the Second Vatican Council and historically used at Councils, Synods, and other Church gatherings for hundreds of years. The current Synod uses a modified version:
Adsumus Sancte Spiritus
We stand before You, Holy Spirit,
as we gather together in Your name.
With You along to guide us,
make Yourself at home in our hearts;
Teach us the way we must go
and how we are to pursue it.We are weak and sinful;
do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance
lead us down the wrong path
nor partiality influence our actions.Let us find in You our unity
so that we may journey together to eternal life
and not stray from the way of truth and what is right.All this we ask of You,
who are at work in every place and time,
in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever.Amen.