The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

The Word Among Us

Ordinary Time: October 28th

Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles

MASS READINGS

October 28, 2019 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who by the blessed Apostles have brought us to acknowledge your name, graciously grant, through the intercession of Saints Simon and Jude, that the Church may constantly grow by increase of the peoples who believe in you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Litany of Saint Jude Thaddeus

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Simon and Jude | Pope Benedict XVI

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Old Calendar: Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Sts. Simon and Jude whose names occur together in the Canon of the Mass and are also celebrated on the same day. Possibly this is because they both preached the Gospel in Mesopotamia and Persia where it is said they had both been sent, but in actual fact we know nothing for certain about them beyond what is told us of their being called as Apostles in the New Testament. St. Jude is the author of a short Epistle which forms part of the New Testament.

Sts. Simon and Jude
However meagre in details is the history of these glorious apostles, we learn from their brief legend how amply they contributed to this great work of generating sons of God. Without any repose, and even to the shedding of their blood, they "edified the body of Christ"; and the grateful Church thus prays to our Lord today: "O God, through the work of the apostles you have spoken your Word of love, your Son, into our world's deafness. Open our ears to hear; open our hearts to heed; open our will to obey, that we may proclaim the good news with our lives."

St. Simon is represented in art with a saw, the instrument of his martyrdom. St. Jude's square points him out as an architect of the house of God. St. Paul called himself by this name; and St. Jude, by his Catholic Epistle, has also a special right to be reckoned among our Lord's principal workmen. But our apostle had another nobility, far surpassing all earthly titles: being nephew, by his father Cleophas or Alpheus, to St. Joseph, and legal cousin to the Man-God, Jude was one of those called by their compatriots the brethren of the carpenter's Son. We may gather from St. John's Gospel another precious detail concerning him. In the admirable discourse at the close of the last Supper, our Lord said: "He that loveth Me, shall be loved of My Father: and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him." Then Jude asked Him: "Lord, how is it, that Thou wilt manifest Thyself to us, and not to the world?" And he received from Jesus this reply: "If any one love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and will make Our abode with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My word. And the word which you have heard is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me."

The churches of St. Peter in Rome and Saint-Sernin at Toulouse dispute the honor of possessing the greater part of their holy remains.

—Excerpted from The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B.

St. Jude
Patron: Desperate situations; forgotten causes; hospital workers; hospitals; impossible causes; lost causes; diocese of Saint Petersburg, Florida.

Symbols: Bearded man holding an oar, a boat, boat hook, a club, an axe or a book; nearly every image depicts him wearing a medallion with a profile of Jesus, and usually with a small flame above his head; often carries a pen or sits at a writing location to make reference to the canonical Epistle; sailboat; inverted cross; square; halbert; club; loaves and fish; long cross; knotted club; boat hook; fuller's bat; lance; saw; flail; closed book; shield: red with sailboat with a cross on the mast.

St. Simon
Patron: Curriers; sawmen; sawyers; tanners.

Symbols: Boat; fish; man being sawn in two longitudinally; fish and book; oar; saw; two fishes; lance; fuller's bat; axe; cross; saw and oar saltire; fish on a boat hood; sword; shield: red background with two oars and a hatchet.

Things to Do:

Traditionally Christians used to begin to prepare food such as bread of the dead and soul cakes for the feast of All Souls beginning on this day. In some areas people would beg for ingredients to make these cakes on this day.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Ephesians 2:19-22

Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles (Feast)

You are fellow citizens with the holy ones. (Ephesians 2:19)

Although Paul is referring to the Gentiles in today’s first reading, you could certainly call Simon and Jude “fellow citizens” of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19). After all, these two men, whose feast we celebrate today, were among the twelve apostles. You can’t get more “citizenly” than that! But the divisions that existed among the Jews and Gentiles could have applied to these saints too.

Why? Because Jesus chose them, along with the rest of the Twelve, from a variety of backgrounds: Matthew, a tax collector; Simon, a Zealot who hated tax collectors; some fishermen; and others with their own personalities we don’t know much about. You would be hard-pressed to find a more unlikely group! But as they followed Jesus, their love for him—and his love for them—brought them together.

We don’t have to look far today to see the way differences can cause division. On a broad scale, we see nations torn apart by war and political polarization. On a much smaller scale, we see friends and family members whose relationships are strained or broken. We even see divisions in our Church and parishes, despite the fact that we have all been baptized in Christ and are all “members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19).

The answer to divisions, whether big or small, is Jesus. It’s simple but true. If his love can break down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles, between a tax collector and a Zealot, it can do the same for us today.

Do you sense a barrier or some tension with someone in your parish who is very different from you? Commit it to Jesus. He can open your heart and help you to recognize that person’s inherent goodness and value. He may even show you whether you are being judgmental or envious, or prompt you to change your tone of voice when speaking to that person.

God doesn’t expect us to be best friends with every Christian we encounter. But he does want us to recognize each one as a brother or sister in Christ. The Church is made up of many varied members. But it’s together as one that we, the body of Christ, give witness to the world about who Jesus is.

“Sts. Simon and Jude, help me to be an instrument of reconciliation.”

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

Regnum Christi

October 28, 2019 – Faithful to Our Lord

Feast of Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles

Father Steven Reilly, LC

Luke 6:12-16

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are my Creator and Redeemer. I hope in your goodness and mercy. I love you from the depths of my heart. I place this time of meditation in your hands. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to grow in love for your holy will.

Petition: Help me, Lord, to persevere, like the Apostles.

Impossible Cases: Saint Jude is known as the patron of impossible cases. He was a relative of Our Lord himself and wrote one of the letters in the New Testament. The fact that he is the patron of impossible cases means, of course, that nothing is impossible with God. What is that one “impossible” thing for me right now? What spiritual mountain do I think is too high to climb? Is it really so “impossible” or do I just need to trust more and work harder?
Zeal for the Right Kingdom: Saint Simon was called a Zealot. Zealots were a group of people known for politically agitating the Roman occupiers. If Simon belonged to that group, then he certainly had a steep learning curve to absorb Jesus’ message about the true, spiritual Kingdom of God. The fact that he’s listed among the Apostles means that Christ recognized his ability to change. Perhaps Saint Simon could be a patron saint for attitude change — then his being teamed up with Saint Jude makes perfect sense. Getting over our own petty attachments and ways of seeing things can seem like a fairly “impossible case” in itself. But the Apostles are proof that Christ is more powerful than our defects, as long as we have the effective desire to follow him.
Supporting Roles: When we think of the apostles, Simon and Jude are never the first ones we name. However, not everyone needs to be a headliner to be a rock-solid contributor. That’s who Simon and Jude were: men loyal to Christ and who persevered in the mission that he entrusted to them. We don’t need to be stars, just faithful!

Conversation with Christ: Lord, you didn’t pick superstars of this world to be your Apostles, but they became something infinitely greater: saints. Help me to believe in the power of your grace to transform me and make me holy!

Resolution: I will be humble and supportive today in the “supporting roles” that I have.

Homily of the Day

October 28, 2019

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Saints Simon and Jude were members of the twelve apostles of Christ. They were low-key members and were overshadowed by the other better known apostles.

But as much as they may not be as famous as the others, both Sts. Simon and Jude contributed to the growth of the early Church as tireless missionaries. Both, however, paid for their faith with their lives. They died as martyrs.

Saint Simon was a member of the Zealots, reputedly the militant anti-Roman sect. Saint Jude was a local man from Israel who ended up as a traveling missionary. He reportedly went as far as Armenia to preach the Good News. Both men are examples of Jesus’ selection of fine, ordinary and at times, seemingly misfit men who eventually became the pioneering members of the Church.

Ordinary as their origins may have been, after knowing Jesus, these men were transformed into extraordinary models for all Christians in the way they lived their missionary lives. May we realize our potentials as disciples of God and we ask, through the intercession of Sts. Simon and Jude, for the Lord’s continuing inspiration to make us faithful, humble, and active missionaries of the Christian faith in our everyday lives.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espanol

All Issues > Volume 35, Issue 6

<< Monday, October 28, 2019 >>

Sts. Simon & Jude

Ephesians 2:19-22
View Readings

Psalm 19:2-5

Luke 6:12-16
Similar Reflections

PASS IT ON

"He called His disciples and selected twelve of them to be His apostles." �Luke 6:13

Recently, a bishop was ordained by the Church. He later told people that he cried tears of joy as hands were imposed on him. He spoke of the awe he felt at realizing that the hands laid on his head traced an unbroken chain of succession all the way back to Jesus' first calling of His apostles.

The Lord renews the face of the Church (see Ps 104:30) through the apostles and their successors, the bishops. The Church is built upon "the foundation of the apostles" (Eph 2:20; Rv 21:14). Jesus works closely through the apostles and their successors, the bishops � so much so that He assures us that if we listen to them, we listen to Him (Lk 10:16). However, if we disregard or ignore the teaching of the magisterium of the Church, we disregard and reject Jesus Himself and God the Father (Lk 10:16).

Do you know the teaching of the Church? Have you ever studied the Catechism of the Catholic Church or the Bible? Take advantage of the grace of this apostolic feast day. Listen to the ones who carry on the teaching ministry of Jesus (Lk 10:16). Decide today to daily read the Bible, the book of the Church. Decide today to study the Catechism. Be built into the apostolic Church and "become a dwelling place for God in the Spirit" (Eph 2:22).

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the privilege of hearing You. May I hear You as You wish to be heard: through the teaching and authority of those You have sent.

Promise: "You are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God." —Eph 2:19

Praise: St. Jude was also called Thaddeus from the Aramaic for "wise."

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Pope’s Intention for October

A Missionary "Spring" in the Church

That the breath of the Holy Spirit engender a new missionary "spring" in the Church.

The Angelus

Ordinary Time: October 28th

Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles

MASS READINGS

COLLECT PRAYER

Recipes (2)

Activities (2)

Prayers (1)

Library (1)

Meditation: Ephesians 2:19-22

October 28, 2019 – Faithful to Our Lord

Father Steven Reilly, LC

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

One Bread, One Body

PASS IT ON