HOMILY OF 30TH MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: “Master, [then] what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?”
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Eph 2:19-22; Psalm 18(19):2-5; Luke 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.
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Today is the feast of the two apostles, St. Simon and St. Jude. They share the same feast day most likely because, according to ancient Christian traditions, towards the later part of their mission, they joined together in Mesopotamia, and then went to Persia where they were martyred.
There is very little information about these two apostles. The little we know about them came from various Christian traditions and legends. It should be noted that both of them have namesakes among the Twelve, namely, Simon the son of John, later named Cephas or Peter, and Judas Iscariot.
Simon is called the Zealot. There was a strict Jewish sect called Zealots, which waged war against the Roman occupiers in order to regain independence and freedom for the Jewish nation. They killed many of their prominent personalities. Being known as the Zealot, therefore, indicates that Simon is one of its members.
The Apostle Jude is called “Judas, son of James”. Luke mentions him in his gospel (6:16) and in the Acts of the Apostles (1:13), and also in the gospel of John (14:22). In the gospels of Matthew (10:2-4) and Mark (3:16-19), the name ‘Thaddaeus’ is mentioned instead of ‘Jude’. The name Jude means to be a ‘giver of joy’, while Thaddeus means ‘generous and kind’. He is also believed to be the author of the Letter in the New Testament that bears his name. He is mentioned in Mark’s Gospel as a brother of Jesus (Mk 6:3). At the last Supper, it was he who asked the Lord: “Master, [then] what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” (Jn 14:22).
During these times, St. Jude is widely popular as the ‘Patron of Hopeless Cases’. This devotion must have arisen from the fact that, due to the stigma attached to his name on account of Judas Iscariot, his intercession is seldom requested by the faithful. This leads to the belief among many devotees that, with less prayer requests to attend to, he can focus on the more desperate and even hopeless cases.
The feast today gives us some important lessons on becoming true followers of the Lord. The first lesson is about the prime importance of prayer. The Gospel says that Jesus spent lots of time in prayer. In the Gospel today, “Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.” Being apostles requires constant connection with God, and this happens mainly through prayer.
Second, the key to greatness is not in being famous. The Apostles Simon and Jude were not that popular. In fact, not much is known about them. It is silence, humility and simplicity that made them great instruments of God because, through these virtues, the power of God is more clearly manifest.
And third, obedience to God and fidelity to one’s vocation are indispensable in the life of every follower. We all have received a calling from God. But since we have the gift of freedom, we may opt to ignore God’s call and pursue our own plans apart from His plan. This does not in any way make our life meaningful and happy. St. Bernard said, “He who is his own master is a scholar under a fool.”
Ultimately, as St. Therese of Lisieux said, “Holiness consists simply in doing God’s will, and being just what God wants us to be.” Let us ask for the powerful intercession the Apostles Simon and Jude that we may attain true holiness and happiness.
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