Faith as Transformation for Mission!

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

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

Today, our Mother Church celebrates the feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles! A short biographical sketch is necessary to appreciate their commitment to the Gospel. 

As his name indicates, ‘Simon the Zealot’ must have been ‘zealous’ about his Jewish identity and opposed Roman oppression and taxation. 

Jude is referred to as ‘Judas, son of James,’ but ‘not the Iscariot’ (Jn 14:22). Pope Benedict XVI pointed to the tradition that the Epistle of Jude was written by the apostle. There is also a reference to these two apostles as Jesus’ brothers (Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3).

Popular tradition holds that Simon and Jude traveled to Persia to preach the Gospel and were both killed there in the year 65 AD. Simon is traditionally believed to have been sawed in half, and Jude is traditionally believed to have been beaten with a club. They often appear in sacred art, holding the instruments of their deaths.  

However, more than the biographical profile, what they each stood for is worthy of our imitation. 

Discipleship as Radical Transformation: Jesus chose apostles from different walks of life. For instance, a person like Simon the Zealot would have certainly resented Jesus’ selection of Matthew, the tax collector, because while the former wanted to get rid of the Jewish oppressors, the latter colluded with them. But they grew out of their ill feelings toward each other, only to be united by their love for Jesus. That is the beauty of transformation. Apostles like Simon defeated their inner demons before they went on to face the enemies of the Gospel. The community of apostles bore each other in love before they became the witnesses of the love of Christ in the future. 

Discipleship as Fearless Testimony: St. Jude insists on Christians facing persecution fearlessly. He is invoked in desperate situations because his New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them. He reminds me of Robert Frost’s saying, ‘The best way out is always through.’ Fight, not flight, is the way to live out our faith in Christ. Just as Christ has shown, for Jude, Good Friday is the way to Easter Sunday. 

Apostles like Simon and Jude had the privilege of being trained by Jesus himself. But they proved themselves to be worthy of such formation by the Divine Master!

For Sts. Simon and Jude, faith was synonymous with ‘transformation for mission.’ Let us pray for the imitation of their models. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar