St.'s Simon and Jude

Yesterday the Church celebrated the feast of St.’s Simon and Jude, Apostles and martyrs.  

I’ve always wondered why the Church put these two together, instead of giving each their own feast day.  I know part of it probably has to do with the fact that we don’t know much about them.

 

For Simon, all we know is that he was a “zealot,” a veritable terrorist of his day, and for Jude… poor Jude… I have to admit that I’ve always thought of him as a syrupy-sweet old man, trying to stay out of people’s way, because he didn't be to be accused of being the "other" Jude in the room, you know -- Judas Iscariat. 

The little we do know about these and the rest of the apostles makes you wonder if Jesus knew what he was doing when he chose them.  From a tax collector, to fishermen, it seems as if Jesus went out of his way to scrape the bottom of the barrel for disciples.

Regarding Simon and Jude, some try to spin this by pointing to them as a proof of the diversity of the Church – I mean how much more diverse can it get than a terrorist and a nobody? 

Others say that by placing these two saints together, we get a glimpse of the humanity that Christ calls to himself – how very lofty... and how very unapproachable.  But I wonder if there is more to this… something deeper.

When I envision Jesus choosing Simon and Jude, I see a mastermind at work.  He doesn’t pick these two to make a point about how “all are welcome” or to glorify the human tendencies to be either radical or malleable.  No, by choosing these men, Jesus is making a clear statement here, and that is to evangelize.

You see, the reason he chose Simon and Jude was because he wanted to save them!  He wanted to save them from themselves and their sins.  He wanted to free them from the tyranny of violence, the saccharin chains of ambiguity. He wanted to transform them into himself, so that His Good News could go throughout all the earth, and as the Psalmist says, "give glory to God like the angels of heaven!) (Ps. 19:2)

But most importantly, for us today at least, Jesus chose them to be a foundation of witness for us; a witness of conversion.  He shows us, through this chose of broken men, that he wants us too, even with our brokenness: our weaknesses, our ambiguities, and even our violence.  He wants it all!  He wants us completely, so that he can heal us, and so, as St. Paul alludes to in his letter to the Ephesians (Eph. 2:19-22), make us "members of His household;" so that he can make us "fellow citizens with the holy ones;" and so that he can show us, that even in this valley of tears called life, we are "strangers and sojourners no longer."

My friends, how much more radical, or loving, can you get?

God's Wheat

 

http://www.ourladyofgracemonastery.com/2012/10/17/saint-ignatius-of-antioch/

"Let me be food for the wild beasts, for they are my way to God.  I am God's wheat and shall be ground by their teeth so that I may become Christ's pure bread... Let me attain pure light.  Only on my arrival there can I be fully a human being... My love of this life has been crucified."

-- Second Reading for the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
Office of Readings of the Liturgy of the Hours
17 October 2013

Quote of the Day

"All objectification tends towards murder, all self-objectification to suicide, for the only time a person is only an object is when he is a corpse."

Aaron the High Priest, Pray for us!

I've recently come to admire our Orthodox brethren who have the practice of venerating not only those saints of God that have brought the Good News to the World after Christ's coming, but also those Old Testament figures who paved the way and who eagerly awaited the coming of the Savior.

While celebrating the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, my confessor reminded me about this.  Since God is outside of time, those moments we see in the past are as present to Him as those moments that, God-willing, are to come.  This gives us a glimpse of God's power, as well as His love.

The first high priest of the Jewish people is my namesake.  Aaron, derived from ancient Egyptian and Hebrew meaning "heavenly paradise", "high mountain" or "the enlightened" (thank you Wikipedia), was a man who made mistakes, who was utterly human, and yet called by God to be spiritual leader of His people.

How fitting, then, for a man who's name is the same and who is on the path to become a priest, to have a devotion to this saint.  He is the archetype not only for the priesthood today, but he also foreshadowed the man who became the foster-father of Christ, St. Joseph.  They both were men, sinful men, who were called to cherish God in a specific way, guiding and nurturing, and remaining faithful despite their sinfulness.

And so today, I renew my efforts to be like this saint of old, and my patron.  May he continue to pray for his brothers and sisters here on earth. 

St. Aaron, prophet and high priest, pray for us!

The Real Game of Thrones

On today feast of St. Denis, Bishop and Martyr, the second reading from the Office today gives us a commentary on Psalm 118 by St. Ambrose.  He speaks of the martyrdoms we must all face in life, be they public or private.  ultimately, martyrdom is witness for Christ.

He ends his commentary with these powerful word concerning the "kings" of sin:

"There are as many kings as their are sins and vices; it is before these kings that we are led and before these we sand.  These kings have their thrones in many hearts.  But if anyone acknowledges Christ, he immediately makes a prisoner of this kind of king and casts him down from the throne of his own heart.  How shall the devil maintain his throne in one who builds a throne for Christ in his heart?"

May St. Denis, witness for Christ in his life and death, be an example for us on how to build up the throne of Christ in our hearts.  Amen.

Be Bold for Christ

As I prepare to give my second sermon in Advanced homiletics class, the second reading from the Office of Reading spoke to me on a new level.  Written by St. Gregory the Great in a pastoral guide, he speak particularly to those intrusted with the pastoral care of the Church.  May the words I share "encourage [you] in sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it."

"To advance against the foe involves a bold resistance to the powers of the world in defense of the flock... Anyone ordained a priest undertakes the task of preaching, so that with a loud cry he may go on ahead of the terrible judge who follows.  If, then, a priest does not know how to preach, what kind of cry can such a dumb herald utter?"

Powerful words for those of us in formation for the priesthood, but also powerful words to those who share in the priesthood of all believers.  By our baptism, we are called to proclaim the Good News -- not "hesitate to say openly what is right because [we] fear losing the favor of men."

Be courageous!  Be a saint!

[all quotations come from the twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Office of Readings of the Liturgy of the Hours]