Last... but certainly not least

Feast of St Simon and St Jude, Apostles and Martyrs

Eph 2,19-22; Lk 6,12-16


Last...but certainly not least

The apostles whose martyrdom we are celebrating today, Simon and Judas, are always mentioned at the end of the list of the Twelve, and we do not know much about them anyway. We must be careful however, of not making the mistake of thinking that they are any less important than the other disciples.  They are not only mentioned by name, but also specified, either by their relation to their family or by something that characterises them.

The Zealot 

Simon here is referred to as “The Zealot.” The Zealots were a sect of the Jewish religion and who rebelled against the oppressive Roman Empire since they wanted to have God as their only ruler.

Thaddeus 

Judas, in today’s Gospel is referred to as the Son of James, but in other gospels he is known as Judas of Thaddeus. Thaddeus means “big-hearted”. The only time that we hear about Judas is in the Last Supper, when he asks Jesus, “Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” To which Jesus replies, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” (Jn 14, 22-23). Perhaps it is no coincidence that he was called the “big-hearted” – indeed, he needed a heart large enough, as it were, wherein the Trinity may dwell!

Contemplative action 

Like Martha and Maria, Simon and Judas had different characters: Simon, I would imagine as being a an extrovert, a loud a rebel who does not think twice to get into arguments as long as they are done for the glory of God. Judas, on the other hand, more introverted, constantly contemplating God’s love and seeking to listen to and obey God’s teaching. Perhaps like Martha and Maria, we are asked to try and embody both traits within us, both the active as well as the contemplative aspects of our spirituality. Perhaps more to the point, our society is asking of us to be people of "contemplative action," meaning that whatever we do, we do it with a contemplative gaze, with the "gaze of God," for a deeper, more profound meaning. In so doing, all our actions will become a prayer, and our whole day, indeed our whole life will become a prayer.

What is your nickname? 

This habit that Jesus had of giving nicknames to his disciples reminds us not only how dear or how intimate we are to him but it also indicates how well he knows us. We are unique in his eyes. Sometimes I wonder, what nickname would God give me? What nickname would God give you? The Zealot? The Big-Hearted? Or perhaps “The anxious-but-hopeful-one”? Or “The-shy-but-never-miss-an-opportunity-to-be-generous one”? Perhaps this might be some food for thought.

The One Martyrdom that gathers all other martyrdoms 

Simon and Judas, like all the other apostles – except John – according to tradition, suffered martyrdom for the glory of Christ. Simon, it seems, experienced a particularly cruel martyrdom. Tradition has it that he was sawn into pieces and is in fact always portrayed with a saw in his hands. Whatever martyrdom they might have experienced, and in whatever way they gave witness to Christ to merit such a martyrdom and such a price, there was indeed another martyrdom that they witnessed. It was a martyrdom much bigger than that which they experienced. It was a witnessing of God’s love much greater than that which they might have given to the peoples whom they evangelized. This martyrdom is, obviously the martyrdom of Jesus’s death and resurrection, the martyrdom which gathers in in all the little acts of martyrdom which they did and which we do in our daily life. It was the supreme witness of God’s love which gathers within it all the little acts which witness God’s love and which we do on a day to day basis.

Martyrdom in our daily lives 

A Jesuit saint, John Brechmans used to say, “Vita communis maxima poenitentia” – living together is the greatest penance. When we really live side by side with each other, I mean, relating truly with each other and not just existing next to each other, we can confirm that we find many experiences to be martyrs for each other and witnesses of the love of Christ.

Fellow citizens of the household of God

It is true that this can be hard at times but we cannot be discouraged because Christ has earned it for us by his death and resurrection. We are no longer strangers, we read in today’s first reading, but we are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God. Unfortunately today, people feel like strangers in their own countries. Unfortunately in today’s world, there are people who have to be displaced from their own homelands because of political, economic or environmental conditions. Unfortunately sometimes, these people find it hard to be recognized as fellow citizens in other countries where they try and settle. But St Paul here is speaking of another type of citizenship, a citizenship which is not bought with money or with favours, but a citizenship in the body of Christ which Christ himself has gained for us and from which none of us is excluded. To be a citizen means that you feel at home with other brothers and sisters in the Father’s house. It means that you can enjoy the benefits as can all other citizens, the benefits being the grace of God. To be a citizen means that you can experience freedom with no restrictions and that your rights are recognized, freedom from sin and the right and freedom to do acts of kindness and mercy. None of these are gained by any of our merits but are gained for us by Jesus and all we have to do is just open our hearts for them and say, “Yes, I want, I do, Amen!”

Mary, Woman of the Eucharist 


Let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to be for us a shining light that we may learn from her who was a true witness, a true martyr of Christ even though she did not shed a drop of blood. May we learn from her, she who was, as John Paul II once called her, La Donna Eucaristica a Woman of the Eucharist for the way in which she embodied God’s love in her.

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