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“Saints Simon and Jude.”
Iconifer and date are unknown |
Readings for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Reading 1: Ephesians 2:19-22
Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
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Commentary on Eph 2:19-22
In this passage, St. Paul describes the unity brought about among all believers in Christ. This unity is formed under a common teaching flowing from the Hebrew prophets, through the apostles, to Christ himself, who is described as the “capstone” or cornerstone. This unity of spirit becomes the Church, the “dwelling place for God in the Spirit.” The Church, in turn, is the unity of all Christians, those who were formerly Jews, and those who were formerly Gentiles. They are, says the apostle, joined through Christ on the same road to the kingdom of God. They share the same foundation of faith, transmitted to them through the apostles, and held firm by Christ the “capstone.” Together they form the “temple of the Spirit,” the essential understanding that the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ.
CCC: Eph 2:19-22 756; Eph 2:20 857; Eph 2:21 797
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 19:2-3, 4-5
R. (5a) Their message goes out through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
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Commentary on Ps 19:2-3, 4-5
Psalm 19 is a hymn of praise. In these opening strophes, the psalmist rejoices in God’s visible hand, revealed in all creation. It is the first of two themes expressed in the psalm (the other is in praise of the law). While no word of God announces his presence, his glory is revealed in the creation of all things.
CCC: Ps 19:2-5 299; Ps 19:2 326
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Gospel: 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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Commentary on Lk 6:12-16
This passage is the call of the twelve apostles from St. Luke’s Gospel. It is noteworthy that Jesus begins this process with a prayer of discernment. He then names the Twelve (including Judas Iscariot who was replaced after his suicide). This important event extends Jesus' mission through these chosen ones (selected from the ranks of Jesus’ disciples: see Mark 3:14-15). This selection marked them with special authority (Matthew 10:1ff) and responsibility to transmit the gospel to the world. The Lord is conscious of establishing the “New Israel.” His selection of the Twelve is symbolic of appointing new leaders of the twelve tribes of the Hebrew people who are rejecting him as Messiah.
CCC: Lk 6:12-16 1577; Lk 6:12 2600
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Reflection:
The celebration of Sts. Simon and Jude reminds us our own call to be an apostolic people. We’ve heard that term used, especially in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium). Through Christ’s call in Scripture, and through our own understanding of what we, as a people of God, believe our call to be, we recognize a special responsibility to participate in the same mission for which the twelve apostles were selected.
While it is argued that we are all given different gifts and aptitudes by God, and therefore we are not all cut out to go into the world verbalizing God’s call to holiness to each person we meet, we are all called to do our part in this great work. We believe this is not optional. We cannot simply say: “I believe in God and that Jesus came as God’s Only Son. Therefore, because I accept him as my personal Savior (he did not come for just one person), I am saved.” No, our faith, breathed in through Sacred Scripture, breathed in through the sacraments, breathed in through prayer, must be breathed out in actions, a living witness that testifies to our faith.
The apostles were taken aside by Jesus and given a special authority, special gifts that would allow them to take Jesus’ message into the world, so that all might hear the message and live. He did not restrict this truth to his followers, somehow implying this was a secret or special insight given to them alone! Rather he gave his followers the mission of taking that message to all the corners of the earth.
To Jesus, the world was a giant canvas upon which he painted, using the brushes of the apostles in bold strokes. But much of what the apostles could do was also passed on. The blank pieces of canvas were to be filled in by those they touched, and then further by those touched by students of the students of the Twelve, continuing until at last the brush is handed to us, so that every speck can be coated with the love of Christ.
Today we celebrate the great work of Saints Simon and Jude, apostles. In their lives and missions, we see the hand of God reach out to the world, inviting all to come and live. We see also, in their call, our own invitation to participate in this great apostolic work of the Church in the world. We pray today for all who work to spread God’s message. We pray also for ourselves, that we might accept the call to witness the love of Christ in all we do.
Pax
In other years on this date: Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
[1] The picture is The picture is “Saints Simon and Jude.” Iconifer and date are unknown.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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