Many people try to make a name for themselves, but in the case of Saints Simon and Jude, along with the rest of the Twelve, Our Lord made name for them, a name not only remembered for the many people named Simon or Jude in the world today, but for being part of that foundation on which Christ built the Church, as St. Paul reminds us in the First Reading today.
We know practically nothing about these apostles; their names even have to be qualified to avoid confusing them with Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot. But we know that as Apostles they were sent out into the world to preach the Gospel, not concerned with making name for themselves, but for making Jesus Christ’s name known, and they persevered in their mission. Saint Jude is the patron saint of lost or desperate causes, and he has been known to intercede for the desperate throughout history.
Whether desperate or devoted, let’s celebrate these apostles today and ask for their intercession and zeal.
Readings: Ephesians 2:19–22; Psalm 19:2–5; Luke 6:12–16.