28 Oct 09 Wednesday, Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Reading 1
Eph 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.

Gospel
Lk 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.

Meditation: Ephesians 2:19-22

Sts. Simon and Jude

You are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. (Ephesians 2:19-20)

Have you ever researched your family tree? It’s an interesting way to find out where you came from, and it can tell you a few things about yourself. Today’s feast of Saints Simon and Jude is a good opportunity to do something similar with our heritage as Christians.

We don’t have a lot of historical data about Simon and Jude. Of course they were two of the apostles chosen by Jesus, and they walked with him during his earthly ministry. They are also part of the foundation on which God built his church. But have you ever thought about how the apostles and saints were normal human beings with their own strengths and weaknesses? In this great “family reunion” of church history, we will meet people who are heroic and holy, but who also trip and fall—and then get up again to keep following the Lord.

The original group of apostles displayed some very noble virtues. It was quite an honorable, brave thing to abandon their livelihoods and become Jesus’ disciples. But their discipleship wasn’t all nobility and holiness. After being with Jesus for three years, their leader denied even knowing him; another refused to believe he had risen from the dead; and almost all of them deserted him in his hour of suffering. Stories just like these run throughout the history of the church. There have been times of great blessing, but also times of suffering, times of abuse and human weaknesses along with times of great sacrifice, humility, and progress.

What does this family history tell us about ourselves? That God is with us, offering love and mercy despite our weaknesses and failings. Jesus will never abandon his church, even in its darkest moments. In fact, in times of greatest suffering or struggle, Jesus is even closer than before. We can be humbled by our heritage as children of God, because it is God’s love and grace that hold our church family together—a love and grace that are constant.

“Heavenly Father, what a lineage I have! They encourage me by their holiness, but they also demonstrate your faithfulness in the face of human failure. I can rest assured in your steadfast love for me and for your entire church family!”