Daily Reflection – Believe the Incredible
Saint of the Day – October 28 – Saints Simon and Jude
Saints Simon and Jude’s Story (1ST CENTURY)
Jude is so named by Luke and Acts. Matthew and Mark call him Thaddeus. He is not mentioned elsewhere in the Gospels, except of course where all the apostles are mentioned. Scholars hold that he is not the author of the Letter of Jude. Actually, Jude had the same name as Judas Iscariot. Evidently because of the disgrace of that name, it was shortened to “Jude” in English.
Simon is mentioned on all four lists of the apostles. On two of them he is called “the Zealot.” The Zealots were a Jewish sect that represented an extreme of Jewish nationalism. For them, the messianic promise of the Old Testament meant that the Jews were to be a free and independent nation. God alone was their king, and any payment of taxes to the Romans—the very domination of the Romans—was a blasphemy against God. No doubt some of the Zealots were the spiritual heirs of the Maccabees, carrying on their ideals of religion and independence. But many were the counterparts of modern terrorists. They raided and killed, attacking both foreigners and “collaborating” Jews. They were chiefly responsible for the rebellion against Rome which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
Reflection
As in the case of all the apostles except for Peter, James and John, we are faced with men who are really unknown, and we are struck by the fact that their holiness is simply taken to be a gift of Christ. He chose some unlikely people: a former Zealot, a former (crooked) tax collector, an impetuous fisherman, two “sons of thunder,” and a man named Judas Iscariot.
It is a reminder that we cannot receive too often. Holiness does not depend on human merit, culture, personality, effort, or achievement. It is entirely God’s creation and gift. God needs no Zealots to bring about the kingdom by force. Jude, like all the saints, is the saint of the impossible: Only God can create his divine life in human beings. And God wills to do so, for all of us.
Saint Jude is the Patron Saint of:
Desperate Situations
//Franciscan Media//
Morning Offering – Doing the Impossible
“Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
— St. Francis of Assisi
More2Life: Nothing Impossible
Daily Devotion – January 25th, 2021
“They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.” – Psalm 105:40-41 ESV
From our perspective, Israel’s exodus from Egypt seems inevitable and even easy. But we know it was anything but easy. Everything about the journey was perilous. With overwhelming needs, they faced a constant stream of dangers and unknowns.
They must have had constant questions that needed answers. Moses might have given them promises from God, but they still had doubts. How would they escape the mighty Egyptian army? With no clear signposts, how would they know where to go? How would they find food and water in a barren wilderness?
Each of us has our versions of experiences like these – problems that seem impossible to solve, difficulties that seem too great, uncertainties, and questions. These are moments to remember all that God did for the Israelites.
Over and over, He did what seemed impossible. To people with no resources, He provided silver and gold. When there seemed to be no food, He fed them with quail. He didn’t just give them some bread, but an abundance. In a place without water, He provided water that gushed out of a rock, flowing “like a river.”
Why did God do these things? He was keeping His promises and the covenant He had established with Abraham.
Remember, nothing is impossible with God. You can trust Him. Stand on His Word. Believe that He will make a way for you even when there doesn’t seem to be a way.
Prayer
Father, I stand on Your Word. I believe nothing is impossible for You. I trust You for everything I need. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Extended Reading
Psalm 105