Apostles Simon and Jude

 October 30: Feast of the Apostles - St. Simon the Zealot and St. Jude Thaddeus

       Today, October 28th, is the feast day of St Simon the Zealot and Jude Thaddeus - therefore, also the feast day of our parish of St Simon Church of Los Altos, CA.

       St Simon the Zealot (so named to distinguish him from Simon Peter, the apostle Jesus designated as the Rock on which the Church would be built), was one of the original twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. 

      The moniker, “the Zealot” is ambiguous. It most likely reflects his fervour for the teachings of Jesus. An alternative explanation holds that he belonged to the orthodox Jewish sect the Zealots who vociferously defended the purity of Mosaic and Canaanite laws resulting in the 70 AD destruction of the Temple by the Romans. The counterargument to this is that the Zealot movement took hold in 68 AD and did not exist when the Gospels were written. 

      Unfortunately, even the Acts of the Apostles don't shed much light on the ministry of St Simon the Zealot. What we know is that after evangelising in Egypt, St Simon joined St Jude Thaddeus in Persia, Armenia and Syria (modern Beirut, Lebanon) where both were martyred in 65 AD. St Simon is the patron saint of couriers, tanners and sawyers.

       St Jude Thaddeus (Thaddaeus meaning sweetness and gentleness of character), also called Judas, was also one of the original twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. He is thought to be the brother of the apostle St James the Less. It was St Jude who asked Jesus at the Last Supper how He would manifest Himself to the whole world after His resurrection. Jesus answered by revealing the Holy Trinity.

      According to one tradition, albeit non-canonical, King Abagar of Edessa (now Şanlıurfa in southeast Turkey) asked Jesus to cure him of leprosy and sent an artist to bring him a drawing of Jesus. Impressed with Abagar's great faith, Jesus pressed His face on a cloth, leaving the image of His face on it. He gave the cloth to St. Jude, who took Jesus' image to Abagar and cured him. Astonished, Abagar converted to Christianity, along with many of the people under his rule.

      Around 37 A.D., St. Jude went to Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) and became a leader of the Church of The East that St. Thomas had established there.  St. Jude traveled throughout Mesopotamia, Libya, Turkey, and Persia with St. Simon, preaching and converting many people to Christianity.  He was credited with helping the early creation of the Armenian Church and other places beyond the borders of the Roman Empire.

     He preached the Gospel with great passion, often in the most difficult circumstances and is often depicted carrying a medallion with an image of Jesus, known as “The Image of Edessa”, in his hand and with a "tongue of flame" on his head (to depict the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles according to Acts 2:3-4). 

      He is the reputed author of the canonical Letter of Jude to the Churches of the East, particularly the Jewish converts, that warns against the licentious and blasphemous heresies of the Simonians, Nicolaites, and Gnostics. 

      Ancient writers tell us that he preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Libya. According to Eusebius, he returned to Jerusalem in the year 62, and assisted in the election of his brother, St. Simeon, as Bishop of Jerusalem.

      St. Jude, along with St Simon, was martyred in 65 AD in Syria (present-day Beirut, Lebanon) on October 28 (their feast day).  St. Jude’s remains are located in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

      In the Roman Catholic Church, he is the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes. Two Saints, St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Bernard, had visions from Jesus asking them to accept St. Jude as "The Patron Saint of the Impossible."

We end with this popular Roman Catholic prayer to Saint Jude:

O most holy apostle, Saint Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honoureth and invoketh thee universally, as the patron of hopeless cases, and of things almost despaired of. Pray for me, who am so miserable.

Make use, I implore thee, of that particular privilege accorded to thee, to bring visible and speedy help where help was almost despaired of. Come to mine assistance in this great need, that I may receive the consolation and succour of Heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly 

(here make your request) 

and that I may praise God with thee and all the elect throughout eternity.

I promise thee, O blessed Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favour, to always honour thee as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to thee. Amen.

St Simon and St Jude pray for us.