Feast of Saints Simon and Jude
TODAY, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of two apostles of Jesus Christ: Saints Simon and Jude. Saint Simon, before meeting Jesus, was a Zealot. The Zealots were a Jewish sect that represented an extreme of Jewish nationalism. For them, the messianic promise of the Old Testament meant that the Jews were to be a free nation. God alone was their king, and any payment of taxes to the Romans – the very domination of the Romans – was a blasphemy against God. Saint Simon is represented in art with a saw, the instrument of his martyrdom. When Simon met Jesus, he became zealous in accompanying him in his mission of proclaiming the kingdom of God.
Saint Jude Thaddaeus (not the Iscariot), the brother of the apostle Saint James (the Lesser), was a cousin of Jesus, nephew of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This can be drawn from the passage in Scripture from Matthew 13:55, “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?” The word “brothers” in Greek is adelphoi, which also means “cousin” or “relative” because there is no word for cousin in Hebrew.
After receiving the Holy Spirit, he went to preach in Mesopotamia. Tradition also holds that this apostle wrote an epistle, now part of the New Testament. He wrote not to a particular person or audience, but rather to Christians as a whole, exhorting them to “contend for the faith that was once for all handed down to the holy ones.” He likewise warned against false teachings and encouraged Christians to keep the faith pure. St. Jude’s square points him out as an architect of the house of God.
These two apostles although considered zealous and passionate in their following of Jesus and of proclaiming Jesus’ message after the resurrection, are less popular than the other apostles of Jesus. Very little is known about them. Saints Simon and Jude knew from the very start that their ministry – their preaching and teaching – was not about them but about Jesus.
Saint Simon is considered patron of sawyers, tanners, and curriers while Saint Jude is known to intercede for those with desperate situations and impossible causes. As we celebrate their feast today, let us not only seek for their prayers for our needs but let us reflect on our calling to be preachers and teachers of the gospel of Jesus. In our own unique ways, we are called to be apostles of his love and mercy. We are called to radiate his light to others. Let us be inspired by the life and works of Saints Simon and Jude who never tired in bringing Jesus to others and others to Jesus.