GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings)
DATE: 28TH OCTOBER 2016
FEAST OF SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES
1ST READING: Ephesians 2:19-22
PSALM: Psalm 19:2-3,4-5
GOSPEL: Luke 6:12-16
THEME: YOU DID NOT CHOOSE ME, I CHOSE YOU
In today’s liturgical celebration, the Church puts the spotlight on two of the apostles, Simon and Jude, who, according to Church history, laid down their lives for the faith.
In our Gospel text, we are told that after Jesus had spent a whole night in prayer on the mountain, he summoned his disciples, during the day, and picked out twelve of them; he called them ‘apostles’ ( cf. Luke 6:13).
The Gospel of Luke regularly presents Jesus at prayer at very important moments in his ministry. By doing an “all night”, one can infer that the choice of the apostles was a major decision for Jesus. The word “apostle” literally means “one who is sent”. They were chosen by Jesus, entrusted with the Gospel and sent to proclaim it.
In the list of the apostles (cf. Luke 6:14-16), reference is made to Simon, the Zealot and Judas, son of James. Practically, the lives of these two apostles are shrouded in obscurity and uncertainty. The basic information we have of Simon is that he was also called the zealot, thus distinguishing him from Simon who was called Peter. The suffix “the Zealot” may either mean that he had a special zeal for the Law of Moses or probably he was a member of a Jewish party called the Zealots who sought to overthrow the Roman government. Additionally, he came from the town of Cana in Galilee (cf. Mt. 10:4).
Judas, son of James, is often referred to as Jude to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, the betrayer. His name appears as Thaddeus in the Gospel of Matthew (cf. Mt. 10: 1-4). Traditionally it is believed that he wrote the Letter to Jude and was a relation of Jesus Christ.
There are three important lessons that one can draw from today’s Gospel text and liturgical celebration:
1. Divine choice: None of the apostles chose themselves. Each one was called and chosen by the Lord. In the same way, it is the Lord who calls and chooses bishops, priests, religious brothers and sisters, catechists, extra-ordinary Eucharistic ministers etc for service. A genuine Christian vocation has a divine origin and ultimately each one of us will have to give an account of ourselves to the Lord.
2. Silent witnesses: Compared to other prominent apostles like Peter, James and John, we can describe Simon and Jude as “silent witnesses”. Their names do not feature often in the Gospels. They appear to be silent and yet they witnessed powerfully to the Gospel. Similarly, we may not always be in the limelight; our names may not always be on the lips of people but in a silent and yet powerful way, we too can witness to the Gospel values.
3. Faithfulness: Simon and Jude were faithful even to the point of death. We too are called upon to persevere in our particular Christian vocations. We should not easily give up just because of the challenges that come our way.
Tertullian, a second century Christian writer, is quoted as saying, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”. The readiness of countless Christians to express their faith in Christ and witness even to the point of death has contributed immensely to the growth and expansion of the Church in its over 2000years of existence. The onus is now on us to inspire our generation and the generations to come with the same zeal that Simon and Jude had for the cause of the Gospel.
Prayer: Eternal Father, may the light of faith that shone in the lives of Simon and Jude, shine brightly in my life too that through your Son Jesus Christ, I may glorify you always. Amen
Andrews Obeng, svd
DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES
BIBLICAL PASTORAL MINISTRY
(Ghana Province)
“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. And may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all people” (St. Arnold Janssen).