Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Today we rejoice again for the glory of God is manifested in his martyrs: the holy apostles Simon and Jude. We celebrate a faith witnessed throughout the world, from east to west.

I make my reflection here in New York on 9/11, a day that some people misunderstood martyrdom. Simon was a zealot. He was part of those who believed in violence as a solution to their conflicts. Jesus asked him to learn to turn the other cheek to the aggressor. We celebrate him for unlearning his past by embracing a new life, seeking peace and true joy. Many of our countrymen still believe in violence as a solution to conflict. This violence has taken away more lives than ever before. As we celebrate these two men, let us think of coexistence as a solution to conflict.

Let us imagine Simon, an activist against the Roman government, managing to live in the same mission with Mathew, a worker of the Roman government. Is it not true that we could coexist despite our differences, that we could turn our cheeks instead of pulling triggers? That religious life is a perfect example of this. Imagine these men and women, who come from different corners of the world and share one charism, drinking from that one cup and calling each other brother or sister.

I notice that after choosing the twelve, Jesus immediately begins to preach the beatitudes. The mission of the twelve was therefore a mission of the beatitudes. Striving for a life of happiness. Where the poor felt rich. The hungry longed for satisfaction. The persecuted felt consoled. A life where mercy is at the center. That life is none other than the Eucharistic life where sinners and saints are friends. We give glory to Jesus for the continuous presence of the apostles in his church. And that through them, we are sanctified by the Eucharist.

Let us pray:

Merciful Father, we thank you for the gift of the Apostles in your Church. May our celebration of this feast bring us closer to your son in the Blessed Sacrament that we may strive for a world of the beatitudes. We ask this through Christ our Lord.