EPHESIANS 2:19–22; PSALM 18; LUKE 6:12–19
The gospel of today describes how Jesus selected and named His Twelve Apostles. Before deciding on them, he spent time in prayer. Before making significant judgments or selecting our companions, we should also pray.
Today, the church honors two of these apostles: St. Jude Thaddeus and St. Simon the Zealot. These men served the Lord and were unwaveringly loyal to him, even till death.
Jude was killed with a club, then decapitated in Persia after his death. Simon was allegedly sawn in half as a form of martyrdom. Throughout their whole ministry, these apostles faithfully expressed the gospel of Christ.
In the first reading, St. Paul says that each of our faiths has a firm foundation thanks to the Apostles’ faith. He also tells us that, because of the faith that has been passed down to us, we are not strangers to God but rather close friends. Hence, we must not take this faith for granted.
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 we may constantly grow in faith and grace. 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. Amen.
