In the Hands of the Potter!

Monday, October 28, 2024

Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude

Eph 2:19-22; Lk 6:12-16

Today our Mother Church celebrates the feasts of Saints Simon and Jude. 

Since not much is known about the life of Saint Simon the Zealot, he remains a mysterious figure as per the traditional accounts. Scholars believe that, as his name suggests, he must have belonged to the group of zealous Jewish nationalists who sought freedom from Roman rule. It was possible that he travelled to ancient Persia and Egypt to proclaim the Gospel and was martyred there. 

Saint Jude, known as Thaddaeus, was a brother of Saint James the Less and a relative of Jesus. There are many ways St. Jude is represented in Christian art. The popular image of St. Jude shows him with a club in his hand. Sometimes, his image includes a flame around his head, symbolizing his presence at the Pentecost. St. Jude is also seen holding an image of Christ. Some of the depictions of St. Jude portray him either with a carpenter’s ruler or a scroll or book symbolizing the Epistle of Jude. While not much is known about his life either, it is believed that he went to Persia to proclaim the Gospel and was martyred there. Because St. Jude exhorts Christians to strive to defend the faith, he is known as the patron saint of desperate cases. 

The two apostles offer profound lessons for us on discipleship. 

St. Simon the Zealot was not a prisoner of his past. Rather, he matured into an apostle who would later sacrifice his life for the Gospel. He subjected himself to God’s will and the zealous freedom fighter gave birth to a zealous evangelist. Our Christian vocation demands that we grow in our zeal for the Gospel so as to manifest it in our lives fearlessly. St. Simon also gives us the hope that our past is not irredeemable for God and our future is not hopeless. His life is a constant reminder that God’s mercy is greater than our sins, and every sinner stands the chance of evolving into a saint. For this reason, St. Simon the Zealot is our go-to saint if our journey of faith is marked by inner struggles, doubts, and challenges.

In the same way, we know St. Jude as the apostle who persuaded Christians to persevere in their faith amid threats and persecution. In this sense, St. Jude is a much-needed saint for our contemporary times, where our faith is under attack from fundamentalist forces. In the ever-increasing calls for abolishing secularism, we experience modern persecution. When instances of religious intolerance are steadily on the rise, St. Jude persuades us to defend our faith and offer witness to the name of Christ without any compromise. St. Jude’s life reminds us that tribulations offer the best opportunity for us to grow steadfast in our faith. 

Saints James and Jude show us that our lives are fashioned by God. 

God the Potter will fashion us into beautiful pots if we are ready to become the clay in God’s hands. 

Let us pray that we may surrender ourselves to God’s plan to evolve into His wonderful instruments.

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar