† Saint QuoteThe Holy Bible is like a mirror before our mind's eye. In it we see our inner face. From the Scriptures we can learn our spiritual deformities and beauties. And there too we discover the progress we are making and how far we are from perfection. Pope St Gregory the Great
Today's Meditation“He does not come down from Heaven each day to stay in the gold ciborium. He comes down to find another Heaven He cherishes infinitely more than the first, the Heaven of our souls, made in His image, living temples of the Most Blessed Trinity!” —St. Therese of Lisieux, p. 31
Daily Verse †To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished and exultant, in the presence of his glory, to the only God, our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power, and authority from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen. ▪ Jude 1:24-25
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EWTN Daily Saint
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Sts. Simon & Jude ThaddeusPatron Saint of: Curriers, sawyers, and desperate causes
Feast Day: October 28 St. Jude Thaddeus (1st c.) was a blood relative of Jesus Christ and one of his Twelve Apostles. He was known for his preaching, healing, exorcisms, and his appearance was said to have closely matched that of Jesus’. He is the patron of impossible causes, desperate situations, and hospitals. He also wrote the book of the Bible that bears his name. St. Simon the Zealot (1st c.) was also one of Jesus’ Twelve Apostles, but one of the most obscure. He earned his name for being zealous for the honor of Jesus, showing a holy indignation towards those who claimed Christ with their lips while dishonoring him with their manner of life. After the Ascension of Jesus, towards the end of his life, it is believed that St. Simon joined St. Jude to preach the Gospel in Persia, where they were both martyred in 65 A.D. St. Simon the Zealot and St. Jude Thaddeus share a feast day on October 28th.
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Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, ApostlesLectionary: 666 Reading 1Ephesians 2:19-22 Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 19:2-3, 4-5 R. (5a) Their message goes out through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth. Alleluia See Te Deum
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We praise you, O God,
we acclaim you as Lord;
the glorious company of Apostles praise you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. GospelLuke 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.
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Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!
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From Word Among Us WAU.org
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Daily Meditation: Ephesians 2:19-22. . . built upon the foundation of the Apostles. (Ephesians 2:20) You’ve probably heard the story of the Three Bricklayers, in which a traveler comes across a construction site. He asks three different laborers what they are doing. The first grumbles, “Laying brick.” The second shrugs as he remarks, “Building a wall . . . and making a living, I suppose.” The third worker beams proudly as he gestures around him. “I’m building the world’s grandest cathedral, where generations of people will encounter God’s majesty!” It’s this third worker who most fully embodies the sentiment in today’s first reading—and in today’s feast of the apostles Simon and Jude. He also captures the way God wants us to look at our own lives as believers in Christ. Sometimes the Christian life can feel like a drudgery or an obligation, as it did to the first laborer. It’s all work. Maybe we struggle to pray or we lose our patience with our kids on the way to Mass. Other times, it can feel like a means to an end—like the second bricklayer—as we seek some kind of credit or repayment for our work serving people or volunteering at church. But like that third worker, we can catch a glimpse of the big picture that God is building us into his own Church. Even Simon and Jude, who traveled to Persia, converted many people, and were eventually martyred, knew that that they were only the “foundation” that God used to build the Church (Ephesians 2:20). We might focus on ourselves as imperfect stones or on the adverse conditions or on the squabbling among the workforce. But we can also trust that the Lord is at work, building us into “a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). Because Christ is working in you, nothing that you do is small—not your voice raised in worship or your hands raised in service, not a single intercession or your years of quiet fidelity, not your welcoming hospitality or your care for the vulnerable. God receives everything you offer and uses it to craft something that belongs to eternity. The cathedral is being built, and you are part of it! “Lord Jesus, use my gifts to build a place where you can dwell!” Psalm 19:2-5
Luke 6:12-16
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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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…"
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From Roberto Juarez end of his reflection: "St. Luke tells us that people sought to touch Jesus because from him came a power that healed them all. This image reminds us that the true strength of the Church does not come from her prestige, her resources, or her human influence. Her source is Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, who continues to work in his people through the Holy Spirit. Christ continues to draw near to us through his Word, the sacraments, prayer, and the life of the Christian community. In the Eucharist he gives himself to us as food and unites us to him so that we can live as his disciples. We will not always experience physical healing, nor will all our difficulties disappear. But the Lord can heal our hearts, sustain us in trial, reconcile us to God and to our brothers and sisters, and restore hope to us when we think all is lost. We too are called to be instruments of that healing power. Not because we have power of our own, but because Christ can act through our words and our actions when we allow ourselves to be guided by his Spirit. May those who come to us find respect, mercy and hope. May our way of life not distance anyone from God, but help us to discover the closeness of Jesus Christ. Let us also ask for the intercession of the Holy Apostles Simon and Jude, so that we may remain firm in the faith, especially when difficulties come. May their witness help us not to be discouraged and to proclaim the Gospel with joy and fidelity. May we never lack prayer to discern, faith to respond and charity to serve." end quote.
Your Brother Adrian. Today we celebrate two apostles, in one day. Saint Jude, the saint known for "impossible cases", and Saint Simon, whom all we know is he was known as a "zealot".
What have we to learn from this feast? What is a church feast?
A Catholic feast day is a designated day on the Liturgical Calendar set aside to honor a mystery of the faith, an event in the life of Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary, or a canonized saint. Derived from the Latin word festus (meaning joyful or to make merry), these days connect the community to salvation history and the communion of saints. If you are fasting today, then today you don't need to fast. Sunday's are a feast. It is a celebration in all senses of the word.
Back to The Apostles.
Our Lord spent all night in prayer. The next morning, He summons the 12 chosen ones, even one that would betray Him.
Did God know this ahead of time?
Today, it is still like this. We have direct descendants from the Apostles, they lay their hands on the next bishop, until our bishops today have a direct authority from the originals. Our Lord spoke that these 12 would be set as forever judges. In biblical teaching, Jesus promised his twelve apostles that they will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
This is serious stuff! These tribes are into the millions and now billions of people being judged. But a judge was not a judge as we think or know.
In the Old Testament, judges (shofetes) were charismatic military, political, and spiritual leaders raised by God to deliver the tribes of Israel from foreign oppressors during the period between the death of Joshua and the rise of the monarchy.
Unlike modern courtroom judges, they rarely presided over legal cases; instead, they functioned more like tribal chieftains or military champions.
And, this is good. Because, as we live, this is the Church Militant. We have bishops descendants now, most I would say are good chiefs, some, could use some help. But either way, what they say GOES. Recently, a famous exorcist on youtube was told to stop by his bishop. Who knows what the reason was, but the exorcist obliged, and this is necessary to show authority is honored. Our Lord appears many times, to an sickly dying lady in bed, in the Book of Heaven, and He speaks much on obedience.
Have I digressed from the Apostles? We honor them today. Just for being chosen by GOD HIMSELF! A zealot? Let's be zealous for the things of God!
Miracles for impossible cases? Let's be that instrument of God!
We are united with these "Super Apostles" even today as our Lord has commanded. May we derive strength from this unity…this faith.
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Random Bible Verse 1
Romans 10:17 " So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."
Word of the Lord!
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