EPHESIANS 2:19-22; PSALM 18; LUKE 6:12-19
The gospel recounts the naming of the Twelve Apostles by Jesus. Jesus spent time in prayer before he made his choice. We too should pray before we make important decisions. Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Jude Thaddeus and St. Simon the Zealot. These were apostles who served the Lord and were completely faithful to him even to the point of dying for him. Jude was beaten to death with a club, and then beheaded post-mortem in 1st century Persia. Simon was supposedly martyred by being cut in half with a saw, a tool he is often depicted with. Through their lives they both gave expression to the message of Christ. In the first reading, St Paul speaks about the role the Apostles played in the establishment of the Church and of how their lives can give a sure foundation to the faith of each of us. He also reminds us that we are not strangers to God but close friends through the faith handed on to us.
LET US PRAY
O God, who by the blessed Apostles have brought us to acknowledge your name, graciously grant, through the intercession of Saints Simon and Jude, that the Church may constantly grow by increase of the peoples who believe in you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
