Daily Gospel Reflection

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October 28, 2023

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude - Apostles
Lk 6:2-16
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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.

Reflection

Kelsey Forry
Alumni Education Programs Director for the Notre Dame Alumni Association
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In today’s gospel, Jesus calls the Twelve disciples by name after a night of dedicated prayer and, presumably, discernment. Two thousand years later, does Jesus still call his disciples by name? Yes, he has called each of us, but we must cultivate ears to hear the call.

In my work at the Alumni Association, I am honored to be a part of the team that offers continuing education experiences to the alumni, families, and friends who return to campus to celebrate reunion each year.

My favorite event to work on is “Fr. Ted Said,” where reunion attendees experience a series of brief TED-talk style stories of personal service from Notre Dame faculty and alumni that honor the legacy of former president of Notre Dame Father Theodore Hesburgh C.S.C., each accompanied by video from the Notre Dame archives of Fr. Ted himself.

As we plan the event, we spend hours listening to and reading the speeches and writings of Fr. Ted and work with our speakers to help them prepare to tell the story of how they heard their name called to vocation and service.

I am humbled and uplifted by the words of Fr. Ted and those he inspired to a life of service and purpose. Just as Jesus called his Twelve, Fr. Ted heard that call too and extended that invitation freely to everyone around him. Our speakers share in that legacy and pass it on. And so, we freely share Fr. Ted Said with anyone with the heart to hear the message.

Though I myself am not an alumna, I am still part of the Alumni Association because I love Notre Dame and the mission she inspires in us all. I hear the call to serve God’s purpose for me through Our Lady’s University.

Will today be the day you hear Jesus call your name?

Prayer

Rev. Bill Simmons, C.S.C.

Lord Jesus, you spent a night in prayer before you announced your disciples and the beginning of our Church. The Twelve placed their faith, hope and trust in both God and man. May I join this group in all its fullness: faith in Jesus Christ, hope in His mercy and trust in His provident care. I ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Saint of the Day

Sts. Simon and Jude

Sts. Simon and Jude are often confused for more prominent characters in the Gospel narratives, so, unfortunately, we know comparatively little about them. Despite knowing little biographical information, we do know their most distinctive identity: they were faithful followers of Jesus.

St. Simon is known as the “zealous” (to distinguish him from Simon-Peter). The name is thought to either refer to his righteous zeal for the law or for his association with a Jewish political faction. Simon is mentioned only among the lists of the twelve Apostles in Matthew 10:4, Mark 3:18, and Luke 6:15. He is also mentioned in Acts, at the selection of Matthias to replace Judas (Acts 1:13), but he fades from the narrative after Pentecost.

The Apostle Jude also goes by the name of Thaddeus (as distinguished from Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus) and was the brother of St. James the Lesser. Like Simon, Jude is mentioned in the Gospels usually as only a name in the list of followers of Jesus, although, unlike Simon, he is mentioned in the Gospel of John, at the Last Supper, and gets a speaking role, asking Jesus: "Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?” (John 14:22) Similar to Simon, Jude is not mentioned in Acts after the events of Pentecost.

The most prominent traditions of these two saints in the Western Church tell us that Simon preached the Gospel in Egypt and Jude in Mesopotamia. The two met and traveled to Persia to spread the good news and were martyred there—thus, they are honored together, on the same feast day, in the Roman Catholic Church. Among Eastern Christian churches, different traditions hold that Simon was killed in Persia, in Samaria, and in Edessa. Thus, the saints are honored on different feast days in Eastern Christian churches.

There is a short letter in the New Testament that is attributed to a writer named Jude, but this author and St. Jude Thaddeus are not the same person. The author of the letter is purportedly a different Jude—a relation of Jesus, through either Mary or Joseph (Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3).

St. Jude is honored as the patron of impossible causes, possibly because he was often confused with Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus and fell into despair. Another possible reason he is the patron of desperate situations could follow from people confusing him with the author of the Letter of Jude, which encourages the faithful to persevere through difficult situations and persecution. Because of his association with lost causes, St. Jude is often invoked in hospitals and among those facing life-threatening illness.

The account of St. Simon's martyrdom attributes his death to having been sawed in two. Thus, Simon became the patron saint of woodcutters.

Statue of St. Jude outside the Basilica of the Sacred Heart

Two statues of St. Jude stand on campus—one in between the Basilica and Corby Hall and the other in the chapel in Siegfried Hall. Relics of both Sts. Simon and Jude rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

St. Jude, patron of impossible causes and desperate situations, and St. Simon, the zealous—pray for us!