Suy Niệm tin Mừng Lễ kính hai Thánh Tông Đồ Simôn và Giuđa.

Suy Niệm tin Mừng Lễ kính hai Thánh Tông Đồ Simôn và Giuđa.
      Trong Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta thấy Chúa Giêsu, sau khi cầu nguyện và tĩnh tâm,  Ngài đã chính hứ tuyển chọn chọn mười hai tông đồ trong các môn đệ của mình. Trong khi người môn đệ là chỉ là những người the Chúa như  là một tín đồ của Chúa Giêsu, Còn những người  tông đồ được coi như là một "sứ giả, một người đã sai." Theo Truyền Thống  Giáo Hội được kể lại cho chúng ta biết rằng sau khi rao giảng Tin Mừng ở Ai Cập, Tông Đồ Simon đả cùng hợp tác với Tông Đồ  Giuđa (con ông Giacôbê) , và cùng đi rao giảng Tin Mừng ở Ba Tư, Armenia và Lebanon, nơi mà cà hai cùng được phúc tử đạo. Chúng ta có đủ can đảm, nghị lức, và sức mạnh để loan báo Tin Mừng như hai thánh Tông Đồ Simôn và Giuda?  Các tông đồ đã khám phá ra kho báu gì mà đã làm cho họ sẵn sàng từ bỏ cuộc sống của họ cho việc truyền giáo?  Có phải là họ đã tìm thấy ý nghĩa trong sự đau khổ vì Chúa Kitô để dám chấp nhận cái chết?
      Bài đọc thứ nhất cho chúng ta biết rằng nền tảng cho lòng nhiệt thành để loan báo Tin Mừng là Chúa Giêsu Kitô, Đấng là nền tảng đức tin của chúng ta, bởi vì bất cứ ai đã nhận Ngài sẽ không còn 
      Bài đọc thứ nhất cho chúng ta biết rằng nền tảng cho lòng nhiệt thành để loan báo Tin Mừng là Chúa Giêsu Kitô, Đấng là nền tảng đức tin của chúng ta, bởi vì bất cứ ai đã nhận Ngài sẽ không còn phải chết. Quả thật trên trái đất , chúng ta có thể trải nghiệm sự sống đời đời khi chúng ta có Chúa Giêsu trong trái tim của chúng ta, Ngài cũng đã trải qua sự đau khổ và cái chết, và chính Ngài đã làm cho chúng ta có thể được trở thành những người đồng hương với những người của Thiên Chúa và là thành viên trong gia đình của Chúa. Cái chết là một kẻ thù bại trận đã bị mất quyền lực và cái nọc độc hại của nó khi Chúa Giêsu tự sống lại từ cõi chết và lên trời.
            Trong khi chúng ta chuẩn bị cho các ngày lễ kính Các Thánh và các đẳng Linh Hồn, chúng ta hãy cầu xin thánh Simôn và Thánh Giuđa cầu bầu cho chúng ta để chúng ta có thể có cuộc sống học nơi gương cha ông chúng ta là các Thánh Tử Đạo Việt Nam noi gương như hai Thánh  là biết can trường không sợ chết nữa, để chịu đựng những đau khổ mà chúng ta sẽ phải trải nghiệm  trong cuộc sống hàng ngày để chúng ta được sống một cuộc sống có ý nghĩa trong Chúa Giêsu Kitô, và có thể đạt được sự sống đời đời qua mầu nhiệm phục sinh của Chúa Giêsu Kitô, Đấng đã chiến đấu trận chiến này cho chúng ta.
 
Reflection:
     In today's Gospel, we see how Jesus, after much prayer and meditation, chooses his twelve apostles from among his disciples.  While a disciple is merely a follower of Jesus, an apostle is a "messenger, a person sent forth." Sacred Tradition tells us that after evangelizing in Egypt, Simon joined Jude, and as a team, spread the gospel in Persia, Armenia and Lebanon, where they were both martyred. Do you have the strength and courage to announce the Good News like Simon and Jude? What treasure did the apostles discover that allowed them to give up their lives for the evangelization? Is it possible to find meaning in suffering for Christ to the point of death?
     The first reading tells us that the foundation for the zeal to announce the gospel is Jesus Christ, who is the cornerstone of our faith, because anyone who has received him shall no longer die. Truly, we on earth can experience eternal life when we have Jesus in our hearts, who himself experienced suffering and death, and who makes it possible for us to become fellow citizens with God's people and members of his household. Death is a vanquished adversary who has lost its power and sting when Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. As we approach All Saints' and All Souls' Day, let us ask the intercession of Sts. Simon and Jude. May their lives teach us not to fear death any longer, that the sufferings we experience can have meaning in Jesus Christ, and that eternal life may be with us through Jesus who has fought this battle for us.
 

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles - 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…  Luke 6:12

Simon and Jude were among those very select few who were chosen by Jesus Himself to be His Apostles. Today’s Simon is not the same person as Simon Peter, and today’s Jude is not the same person as Judas Iscariot. Little is known about these two Apostles. Simon is referred to as a zealot in the Gospels, which could have meant he was a member of a more radical sect within Judaism. Jude is popularly known as the Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes. Some suggest this is because he was often the last Apostle to be prayed to by the early Christian faithful on account of the fact that he shared a name with Judas Iscariot, and praying to Jude reminded people of that betrayer. If that was the case, then in God’s providence, since Jude became the last Apostle to be prayed to, he also became the last hope for many and, thus, the patron saint for those with truly hopeless causes.

One tradition states that Saints Simon and Jude are linked together in the Roman Canon and also share the same feast day because they were both martyred together on the same day, possibly in Syria, Lebanon, or Persia. However, the true details of their missionary journeys and martyrdom is unclear. The one thing that is certain about these Apostles, however, is that they were Apostles. They were chosen by our Lord and appointed by Him as two of the first bishops of our Church and were given a mandate to share the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

From our perspective today, being one of those chosen Twelve is an incredible privilege. The effect of their ministry in establishing the first Christian communities has resulted in our worldwide universal Catholic Church. These men most likely did not realize the impact that their faithful service would have upon the world.

As we honor these two Apostles, we are also reminded that each one of us is called to go forth to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth. We each do so in a way specific to the calling and mission that Christ has entrusted to us. We are each called to make an eternal difference in the lives of those whom we serve. And if we are faithful to our mission, we can be certain that the effects of our apostolic service will be felt in the lives of countless others until the end of the world.

Reflect, today, upon Jesus choosing these two men and appointing them as Apostles. As you do, listen to God’s voice as He also speaks to you. Do not underestimate the importance of accepting the mission that Jesus gives to you. Say “Yes” to Him in imitation of these two Apostles and know that your choice to serve our Lord in this way will not only have a great effect in your life, it will also have an effect in the lives of many others for all eternity. 

My glorious Lord, You called these two ordinary men, Simon and Jude, to be Your Apostles. You filled them with Your grace, taught them with Your Word, and sent them forth to preach to the ends of the earth. Please also send me, dear Lord, to whomever You choose. Use me as Your instrument and help me to always remain faithful and zealous, reaching out to those in need, especially to those who lack faith and hope in their lives. Saints Simon and Jude, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You.

 Saints Simon and Jude

Encountering Christ:
Called by Name: St. Luke points out that after a long night of prayerful discernment, Jesus called his disciples to himself, and from them, he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles. The Christian life is a response to a call. Jesus draws us to himself, and he does so personally, as St. Luke makes abundantly clear by listing each of  remain (John 15:16). In a secular world, this is hard to remember. We must keep going back to it. Our lives are not our own. We are Christians, friends and followers of Christ. We have been called and chosen, set apart for a mission, given an eternal destiny. This vision of our deepest identity is vibrant and adventurous. Is that how I live? Or have I fallen into the trap of viewing my faith as a checklist of dos and don’ts, as a burden, as an optional extra dimension to a life being led for this world only? It’s worth thinking and praying about.
Do You Remember?: The Twelve Apostles would have remembered this day, the day Jesus called them to be members of his inner circle, for the rest of their lives. It was a special day. They would never reduce their relationship with Jesus to that moment of encounter and calling, but that moment would have had a special resonance in their hearts throughout their lives. It probably came back to them and provided encouragement in moments of difficulty and trial. We know St. Paul often began his letters with a reference to the moment of his call, and we can imagine that the Twelve would have often alluded to their moment of call as they too bore witness to the Gospel. Today’s saints, Simon and Jude, suffered martyrdom together in Persia (modern-day Iran) at the end of their earthly mission. We know very little of their missionary adventures, but we can rest assured that their unforgettable experience of being called by Christ was a sure anchor amid the storms they encountered throughout their lives. And what about us? How vivid is our awareness of Christ having called us? Do we often think back on those powerful experiences of his grace, those times when we knew–when we truly, experientially knew–that God was acting in our lives, nudging us, calling us, strengthening us? God often rebuked his chosen people in the Old Testament for forgetting about his many powerful interventions in their lives. May the Lord never rebuke us for such spiritual negligence!
Our True Identity: In today’s first reading, St. Paul painted a compelling, beautiful picture of the Church. First, he told the Ephesians that they were no longer strangers or sojourners. That is the state of anyone who has not discovered and embraced their identity as children of the one true God, a state the Ephesians had experienced poignantly during their pre-Christian pagan phase of existence. Then St. Paul contrasted that state of uncertainty and insecurity with their new state: 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. In Christ, through our membership in the Church, our true identity has been given and revealed. We have a place in the universe. We belong. We have brothers and sisters who will be with us for all eternity. We are not wandering aimlessly through a random cosmos hoping blindly that some kind of meaning will stumble upon us. We know where we came from: the loving, all-powerful heart of God. We know where we are: on a pilgrimage through this fallen world, spreading the good news of the Gospel and growing in grace, virtue, and friendship with Christ. We know where we are going: to the Father’s House, to everlasting life in the company of Christ himself and all the saints and angels. Is this such a small thing, knowing all of this? Amid life’s hustle and bustle, we often act as if it were just a small thing. In truth, however, it is the biggest thing. And our daily life will only benefit if we treat it that way.
Conversing with Christ: When I stop to think about the miracle of your Church, of this massive community of believers spanning twenty centuries and the entire globe, a community united today by the same Gospel and the same sacraments and the same apostolic authority that has united it since the time of your own Incarnation, I am overwhelmed. I am filled with awe. You are faithful. You are redeeming the world by unfolding your new creation. And you have called me to enter into this amazing story, chosen me to participate actively in the spread of your Kingdom, the only kingdom where salvation can be found. Thank you, Lord, thank you.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will take time to write out two or three of my most powerful experiences of your presence in my past, so that I don’t forget about them, and so that I continue to be strengthened by the loving, grateful memory of your faithfulness to me.