The Feast of
Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
(Ephesians 2:19-22; Luke 6:12-16)
A young woman recently wrote a guest editorial that was
published in the Wall Street Journal. The
woman has graduated from a state university in Florida and is about to pursue a
master’s degree. What’s remarkable is
that having failed first and second grades, she was once considered a hopeless
case. Then her godmother took her into
her home and pursued getting her a state voucher to a private school. There the girl received the special attention
she needed. Today we celebrate the saint
who may be considered the young woman’s patron.
St. Jude is sometimes surnamed Thaddeus because he is not
mentioned in Mark’s and Matthew’s gospel while Thaddeus is. But the most distinguishable remark that can
be made about Jude in the gospels is that his name appears at the end of the
list of apostles except for the infamous Judas Iscariot. In other words Jude is the last of the
apostles. Yet in the eyes of many Catholics
around the world Jude is perhaps the most famous other than St. Peter. The reason for his popularity is that his
being positioned in the last place has made him the patron of hopeless causes –
a feeling which everyone has of herself at one time or another.
In truth none of our causes is really hopeless. God has sent Jesus to help us. We only need to trust in him, perhaps with
the intercession of St. Jude. He will supply
us with the opportunity to rise from hopelessness. He will make us well.
