Both Sts. Simon and Jude were born at unknown dates in the early first century A.D. Though not much is known about them from other sources, the Bible states that both of these men were called personally by Our Lord to be some of His Apostles.
St. Simon “the Zealot”, likely got his epithet by being a member of the radical group of Jews known as the Zealots which violently opposed the Roman government. His connections with them came to a close when he was called to be an apostle by Our Lord, though Scripture itself does not mention explicitly when he was selected. St. Simon is called the brother of Jesus along with a handful of others (cf. Mk. 6:3). Though he was likely a half-brother or cousin, he still likely would have had previous connections with Jesus before his calling. According to tradition, St. Simon purportedly became the second bishop of Jerusalem in the first century until he was martyred by being sawn in two.
St. Jude, also identified as Judas Thaddeus in Scripture (not to be confused with Judas Iscariot who betrayed Our Lord) is most well known for his epistle in the New Testament. He is also identified in Scripture as the brother of Jesus (Mt. 13:55). This is likely a cousin or half-brother relationship, which means that he had an intimate relationship with Our Lord. Tradition holds that St. Jude evangelized King Abgar of Edessa by giving him a cloth with the face of Jesus on it which miraculously healed his illness. He is believed to have been the apostle to Judea and especially Armenia and is venerated there as their patron saint. St. Jude is also known as the patron saint of lost causes and of hospitals. The tradition holds that St. Jude is the patron of lost causes because he was neglected for so long that he is willing to take the intercessions of any prayers given to him, no matter how grave. He may have been neglected for so long because people mistook him for Judas Iscariot.
One can only imagine what it must have been like for these two to have preached the gospel to “all the world” (Mk. 16:15) after having personally spoken to, travelled with, and seen Our Lord both before and after His death and resurrection. It could only have been through the power of the Holy Spirit that they received at Pentecost that allowed them the ability to convert so many and suffer such pain, all for the sake of Our Lord.
These two saints share a feast day because of the ancient tradition that they were martyred together in the Roman province of Syria in Beirut in about 65 A.D. In typical depictions of the two of them together, St. Simon is carrying a saw and St. Jude a club to symbolize the means of their deaths. This memento mori imagery helps depict that, through Christ, even those things which people use to abuse and even kill us, can, like the Cross, be transformed into symbols of the glory of martyrdom.
Sts. Simon and Jude, Pray for us!
James Pritchett is a Sophomore studying History and Classics with a deep affinity for his native land, the Golden State. Despite being the most recent lover of Catholicism on the Torch staff, he is the C101 editor and his main interests consist of reading Dostoyevsky, playing devil’s advocate, and correcting people on niche theological heresies.
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