Saint Jude Thaddeus, one of the most popular saints of the Holy Church, is invoked as the saint of the desperate and afflicted, the saint of hopeless cases and of lost causes.
Newsdesk (02/11/2022 13:41, Gaudium Press) On October 28th, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Jude Thaddeus, one of Jesus’ twelve apostles.
St. Jude Thaddeus was a ‘cousin-brother’ of Jesus
Born in Cana of Galilee, Palestine, St. Jude was the son of Alphaeus (or Cleophas) and Mary Cleophas. His father was the brother of St. Joseph and his mother was the first cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Therefore, St. Jude Thaddeus was the brethren, a ‘cousin-brother’, of Jesus.
Alphaeus (Cleopas) was one of the disciples to whom Jesus appeared on the road to Emmaus on the day of the Resurrection. Mary Cleophas, was one of the pious women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and who stood at the foot of the Cross on Calvary together with Our Lady.
The four ‘brothers’ of St. Jude Thaddeus
St. Jude Thaddeus had four siblings: James, who was one of the twelve apostles and the first Bishop of Jerusalem; Joseph, known as the Just; Simon, who was the second Bishop of Jerusalem, succeeding James; and Mary Salome, the mother of the apostles St. James the Greater and St. John the Evangelist.
It is believed that St. Jude Thaddeus lived closely with his cousin Jesus and his aunt and uncle, Mary and Joseph. It was certainly this fraternal living together, in addition to the close kinship, that led St. Mark to mention St. Jude Thaddeus and his siblings as being the “brothers” of Jesus (Mk 6:3).
St. Jude Thaddeus and the Bible
The name of St. Jude Thaddeus is rarely mentioned in the Bible. He appears as one of the apostles chosen by Jesus and in the episode of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday.
On that occasion, when Jesus confided to the apostles the wonders of the Father’s love and assured them of a special manifestation of Himself, St. Jude Thaddeus, showing his generous compassion for all men, asked: “Master, why do you want to manifest yourself only to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered him by affirming that there would be manifestations of Him to all those who would keep His word and remain faithful to His love.
A life dedicated to evangelization
After receiving the Holy Spirit in the Cenacle in Jerusalem, together with the other apostles, Saint Jude began his preaching in Galilee, later travelling to Samaria and other Jewish populations. He also took part in the first Council of Jerusalem, held in the year 50.
Later he evangelized Syria, Armenia and Mesopotamia (now Iran), where he was joined by another apostle, Simon the “Zealot”, who was already evangelizing Egypt. Because of his preaching and energetic and vigorous witness, St. Jude Thaddeus converted countless pagans and people of other religions to Christianity.
St. Jude Thaddeus is arrested together with St. Simon
His life was totally dedicated to evangelization and the complete and unconditional witness of the teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ. His preaching started to attract the displeasure of some pagans, who began to set the people against him.
St. Jude Thaddeus and St. Simon were arrested and taken to the Temple of the Sun. There they refused to renounce Jesus Christ and worship the goddess Diana. On that occasion St. Jude said to the people, “That you may know that these idols which you worship are false, demons will come out of them and break them. At the same instant, two hideous demons smashed the whole temple and then disappeared.
The martyrdom of St. Jude Thaddeus
The people were indignant and, incited by the pagan priests, furiously attacked the apostles. St. Jude Thaddeus was butchered by the pagan priests in a cruel, violent and inhuman way.
St. Jude Thaddeus is represented holding a book, which symbolizes the word of God that he proclaimed, and a halberd, a kind of axe, which was the instrument used in his martyrdom. His relics are venerated in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Prayer to Saint Jude Thaddeus, patron saint of impossible cases
St Jude Thaddeus, chosen apostle of Christ, I salute and praise you for the faithfulness and love with which you fulfilled your mission.
Called and sent by Jesus, you are one of the twelve pillars supporting the true Church, founded by Christ.
Countless people, imitating your example and aided by your prayer, find the way to the Father, open their hearts to their brothers and sisters and obtain the strength to overcome sin and to rise above every evil.
I want to imitate you, committing myself to Christ and to His Church through a decisive conversion to God and to my neighbour, especially the poorest.
And, thus converted, I will assume the mission of living and announcing the Gospel, as an active member of my community. I hope, therefore, to obtain from God the grace I implore, trusting in your powerful intercession. Amen!
Saint Jude Thaddeus, pray for us! (EPC)
Compiled by Roberta MacEwan
