28th October: Feast of Saints Simon and Jude (apostles) — reflection

Theme: Seek God’s face always before starting any project.

Luke: 6:12–19

St. Jude Thaddeus, the son of Cleopas and Mary Cleopas, was one of the twelve apostles. He was one of the four that were called the brethren of Jesus (Mt 13:55), because his mother was Virgin Mary’s cousin. He was the apostle who, at the last supper, asked Jesus why He was showing himself to His disciples and not to the world (Jn. 14:22). He wrote the Letter of St. Jude in the New Testament. St. Jude is known as the special patron saint of those in dire distress and helper in difficult situations; He is invoked as the help of the helpless. On the other hand, very little is known about St. Simon except that he was a Zealot and was from Cana.

The gospel of today recounted the choosing of the 12 apostles, stating that He chose them after an all-night prayer to God. If wise people had reviewed Jesus’ choice of these men, to whom He would commit an all-important divine task of preaching salvation to the whole world, they would have given Him a very low grade. The 12 chosen by Jesus were a strange mix of ordinary people. Matthew was a hated tax collector for the foreign Roman government; Simon the Cananaean was a Zealot and fanatical nationalist; the rest were mostly professional fishermen with no social status, learning, or political influence.

However, one of the wonders of our time is how these men, who could be classified as a bad choice, were able to do what most qualified people cannot do. That is, taking the Good News to the entire known world of their time. One of the reasons for this tremendous success could be found in what Jesus did before choosing them. He prayed to God all night, who guided decision and choice, and He also handed the choice He made to God. It was a divine initiative and project.

Dear friends, if you seek the face of God before making any decision or choice, He will guide you with His own initiative. And if you follow God’s own initiative in your plans and their execution, your project will become His project, and you will see how He will transform even the most ordinary of your instruments into the best. Seek God’s face in your decisions, choices, and actions today, and testimonies will be yours.

Have a blessed week.

Fr Isaac Chima