October 28-Suy Niệm tin Mừng Lễ kính hai Thánh Tông Đồ Simôn và Giuđa

October 28-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 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 October 28-Saints Simon and Jude

     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.

 

October 28- 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.

 

October 28-Saints Simon and Jude 2025

Opening Prayer: Lord God, bring me more deeply into the unity of your family, the Church. Guide my actions, thoughts, and prayers so that I may imitate your Son’s holy Apostles. Help me overcome evil in my life and in my community, and extend your reign in the world around me.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Three Tasks of an Apostle: Today’s liturgy for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude is an invitation to meditate on the vocation of an apostle, the makeup of the community of the apostles, and some of the themes contained in the Letter of Jude. The Gospel of Luke indicates that an Apostle was someone chosen by Jesus after prayerful dialogue with God the Father. We learn in the Gospel of Mark that the Apostles were chosen for three tasks (Mark 3:13-15). The first task of an apostle is to be with Jesus, to center their lives on him, and to live with him. This leads not only to imitation of Jesus but also to identification with him. Second, an apostle is sent out to preach. The message of an Apostle is the same as that of Jesus Christ – the Kingdom of God. When the Apostles proclaim the Kingdom of God, they proclaim God’s dominion and lordship. They proclaim the mystery of Jesus Christ, who came to save us and dwell with and in us. And they are proclaiming the mystery of the Church as the beginning and seed of the Kingdom. In brief, they proclaim God’s plan for humanity (see CCC, 1). Third, an apostle is given authority to cast out demons. This means especially overcoming the power of evil and the reign of the devil with the sacramental power of the Kingdom of God.

2. The Makeup of the Community of the Apostles: The Gospel of Luke tells us that the Apostle Simon was called a Zealot. Pope Benedict remarked that even if Simon “was not exactly a member of the nationalist movement of Zealots, he was at least marked by passionate attachment to his Jewish identity, hence, for God, his people, and divine Law” (Benedict XVI, October 11, 2006). The Pope notes that if this were Simon’s case, he was worlds apart from Matthew, who worked as a tax collector for the Romans. What this shows us is that Jesus called his disciples and collaborators from the most varied backgrounds. “It was people who interested him, not social classes or labels! And the best thing is that in the group of his followers, despite their differences, they all lived side by side, overcoming imaginable difficulties: indeed, what bound them together was Jesus himself, in whom they all found themselves united with one another” (Benedict XVI, October 11, 2006). This is an invitation to all of us not to give in to the temptation of superficial labels and promoting polarizing divisions within the Church: conservative vs. liberal; doctrinal vs. pastoral; traditional vs. progressive; sacramental vs. missionary; and so on. Unity is not uniformity. Like the Apostles, though, we are called to be of one mind and heart, united in Christ and through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14).

3. The Letter of Jude: The Letter of Jude tells us something about him as an Apostle: one of his main concerns was that Christian communities fight for the true faith against deceivers (Jude 3-4); he cautioned against those who introduce division into the Church (Jude 8); he desired that Christians deepen in their understanding of apostolic doctrine (Jude 2); he appealed that Christians wait prayerfully and patiently for the Lord; and he gave instruction to steady the faith of those who wavered in doubt and were overcome by deception. Jude goes so far as to compare those who spread false doctrine to the fallen angels and those who walk in the way of Cain (Jude 11). On the night of the Last Supper, Jude learned the importance of encountering the Risen Christ: “The Lord does not appear as a thing. He desires to enter our lives, and therefore, his manifestation is a manifestation that implies and presupposes an open heart. Only in this way do we see the Risen One” (Benedict XVI, October 11, 2006). Saints Simon and Jude, then, not only offer us a model of Christian unity but also exhort us to deepen in this mystery by welcoming Jesus into our lives. They intercede before God for us, asking that we may see the Risen One with eyes of faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep ourselves in the love of God, and wait for the mercy of Jesus Christ unto eternal life (Jude 20-22).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to imitate your apostles today. Show me where I can spend more quality time with you. Send me out to extend your kingdom. Vanquish any evil in my heart, my family, and my community.