Oct 28 – Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles
St. Simon was an apostle called the Cananean or Zealot because of his zeal for the Jewish law. He was not from Cana, nor a member of the Zealot party. Like all the Apostles, he was a convert, and was trained by St. Peter the Apostle. He evangelised in Egypt and Mesopotamia, though there are traditions of him being in several other locations. Several places claim to have been the site of his martyrdom – Abyssinians claim he was crucified in Samaria; Lipsius says he was sawn in half at Suanir, Persia; Moses of Chorene writes that he was martyred at Weriosphora in Iberia.
- Patron Saint Index
St. Jude Thaddeus was the son of Cleopas, who died a martyr, and Mary who stood at the foot of the Cross and who anointed Christ’s body after death. He was the brother of St. James the Lesser, and nephew of Mary and Joseph. He was the blood relative of Jesus Christ, and was reported to look a lot like him. He may have been a fisherman, and was an apostle.
He was the writer of a canonical letter. He preached in Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia with St. Simon. He was a healer and an exorcist, and could exorcise pagan idols, which caused the demons to flee and the statues to crumble. He was beaten to death with a club, then beheaded post-mortem in 1st century Persia.
His patronage of lost or impossible causes traditionally derives from confusion by many early Christians between Jude and Judas; not understanding the difference between the names, they never prayed for Jude’s help, and devotion to him became something of a lost cause.
- Patron Saint Index
Eph 2:19–22
Lk 6:12-19
You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone.
We once had a colleague who had resigned after working for many years. Most colleagues thought that the work she did was low level administrative tasks which did not warrant too much attention. Her departure initially did not generate much issue but after some months, there began to have some delays in the processing of certain matters and later on, a breakdown in maintenance processes. It was during this stage that another colleague astutely remarked that, “sometimes it is the quiet ones that do the heavy lifting.”
In today’s feast, we celebrate two saints which do not get much mention in the Gospels. Very little is said about St Simon, and St Jude is mentioned only once in the Gospel of St John. Yet their roles in the Church are significant because they were living witnesses to Jesus’s public ministry on earth.
They were able to continue the mission of Jesus by spreading the Gospel to mission lands in ways that convinced their audience, whilst remaining faithful to the original message. In their own quiet way, they shared the joy of the Good News which Jesus brought to everyone they met.
Like the beams and pillars which can be found in every building which hold the entire structure despite their plain looking appearance, Sts Simon and Jude remind us that we do not need to look at the extraordinary to learn about Christ. Sometimes, it is in the ordinary things in life that we can discover Christ. The day to day actions and behaviours of our lives could inspire others to be drawn to Jesus.
I’d like to share with you, my dear reader, an interview on YouTube with Pope Leo XIV which was done in December 2025, in the following link. The Holy Father summed it up nicely when he shared that “one simply gives his life to the Lord and allows the Lord to lead.” The two apostles whose feast we celebrate today remind us to continue to do our work quietly, letting the Lord use our work and actions to draw all to him.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Nicholas Chia)
Prayer: Sts Simon and Jude, pray for us.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for all who show us how to always rely on Jesus.
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