Feast of Saint Simon and Saint Jude, apostles
(Ephesians 2:19-22; Luke 6:12-16)
Coming over the Mississippi River on I-40,
the first sight one sees in Memphis is St. Jude Hospital. This research institution provides hope for
children with rare diseases. They have come
from all over the world for almost sixty years for cures. It was named “St. Jude,” the patron of
hopeless causes, because the children could not be helped medically in their
cities of origin.
St. Jude was an apostle of Jesus. This is about all that can be said about him
with certainty. Because he is so obscure, his name appears last in the list of
apostles except for Judas Iscariot, the betrayer. It is said that Jude preached in Mesopotamia
and Persia. Like the other apostles
except John, he is also said to have died a martyr. He is usually pictured with a medallion
bearing the image of Christ.
Hopefully, we too bear an image of
Christ. Although the image may not be on
a medal, that is of secondary importance.
We want to bear the image of Christ in our words and actions. We want to help others, choose wisely our
friends, and tell the truth always. Like
Christ also, we should be chaste in our thoughts and actions. If this sounds impossible, let us ask St. Jude
to pray for us.
