Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles (Feast)

. . . the foundation of the Apostles. 

Just what do we know about these two apostles whom we are celebrating today? The Gospels record none of Simon’s words, and Jude, who is also called Thaddeus, says only a few things. Ancient traditions tell us that after Pentecost, Simon preached in Syria, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, while Jude preached throughout Palestine before traveling to the city of Edessa in southern Turkey. While there, he established a vibrant church that prospered for centuries.

Eventually, Simon and Jude met up in Persia, where the two men ministered before suffering martyrdom around AD 65. Believers recovered their bodies, and they were buried together under an altar in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Simon and Jude are often considered among the more “obscure” apostles. But no one in the first century AD would have thought that way—especially not the thousands of believers who owed their faith to them. Neither would the Christians in thirteenth-century Rome, who used to visit their tomb to seek their intercession. And neither would the millions of Catholics today who pray to St. Jude as the patron of desperate causes!

That’s one of the keys to today’s celebration. As “obscure” as Simon and Jude may be, their legacy lives on. Their witness and their intercession continue to affect the lives of countless believers—and in ways neither of them probably imagined.

What’s your legacy? It’s probably a lot more than you imagine. Every one of your prayers of intercession moves the Lord. When you share your faith with someone, his Spirit works through you to touch those with open hearts. When you forgive someone, he pours out grace on that person. He fills every one of your acts of generosity and kindness with his love.

You’ll never see your complete legacy in this life. But imagine how much more you’ll see when, like Simon and Jude, you go to the Lord! So imitate these two apostles’ persistence. Trust that everything you do in Jesus’ name has eternal consequences.

“Jesus, help me to persevere in serving you, just as Simon and Jude did!”

Ephesians 2:19-22
Psalm 19:2-5
Luke 6:12-16