Today we celebrate the Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles. These two apostles of Jesus are honored on the same day. St. Simon was called “the zealous one” because he had so much devotion to the Jewish law. Once he had been called by the Lord to be an apostle, he gave his heart and his energy to preaching the Gospel. With the other apostles, he received the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. Then it is believed that he went to Egypt to preach the faith. Afterward, he went to Persia with the apostle St. Jude, and the two of them were martyred there.

St. Jude is sometimes called Thaddeus, which means “the brave one.” He is known for the question he asked the Lord at the Last Supper. Jesus had said: “Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” And St. Jude wanted to know: “Lord, how is it that you are about to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus gave him the answer: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him” (Jn 14:23).

St. Jude is sometimes called the saint of “desperate or impossible cases.” People pray to him when things seem hopeless. Often God answers their prayers through the intercession of this beloved apostle.

These two apostles had unique and different personalities, but each was greatly loved by the Lord. We can ask St. Simon and St. Jude to show us how to accept ourselves and use our gifts to help spread Jesus’ message. (iMissal, Saint a Day)

It is time to look into ourselves and ask, “how are we doing in preaching the Gospel in a personal level? In what way can I preach the Gospel today?

O Holy Spirit, source of courage, You gave Yourself to the Virgin Mary and she said “yes” to becoming the mother of the Messiah. Help me to say “yes!” to whatever it is You are calling me to do. I want to serve the Father and make Jesus’ love more evident in the world around me. Hail Mary full of grace…

Peace in Christ,

Father Vincent-Vuong Nguyen