Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles, Wednesday – 28th October 2020 — Gospel: Lk 6,12-16
Witnesses of Profound Union
St.Simon and St.Jude were apostles and martyrs of Persia, the lands of modern-day Iran. Simon’s symbol is a book with a fish upon it, symbolizing a fisher of men through the power of the gospel. Jude’s symbol is a ship with full sails, symbolizing an avid spreader of the gospel over great distances. Simon the Zealot, belonged to the group of the Zealots, a puritan and extremist group opposed to the Roman rule in Judea at the time of Jesus. He was a freedom fighter for the Jews who were oppressed by the Romans. However, he left all that and joined Jesus to be his follower. Jude or Judas Thaddeus, is different from the Judas Iscariot the traitor, who is the patron saint of hopeless cases. He remained faithful to the Lord, and continued to preach the good news together with Simon the Zealot. However, from the gospel we come to know only their names found in the list of apostles.
Obviously the position of the twelve apostles was important in the early church. The gospel pictures Jesus calling forth the chosen twelve apostles, after spending the whole night in prayer. Even though the apostles whom we remember today are not prominent in any way, they were equal in status along with other apostles. All of them were strengthened by Jesus’ prayer and discerned through the intervention of God the Father. These apostles had a special role since they were “eye-witnesses” of the ministry and life of Jesus. They witnessed, as said in the gospels, that many sick people came and touched Jesus and the healing power went out from him curing all types of diseases. These chosen followers of Jesus were not only apostles, but were the first missionaries. The memory of these chosen ones, once again remind us of the role of each believer, i.e., called to continue the work of the apostolic church. Two aspects are recalled from their life: 1) being grounded and rooted in the Biblical and Apostolic Tradition of the twelve apostles; and 2) continuing to be missionaries by going out to the world and announcing the Good News of Jesus Christ. Like all other apostles, Simon and Jude also bore witness to Jesus, because they had profound union with the Lord, which gave them strength to endure many hardships, trials, difficulties, sufferings and martyrdom.
