Quiet Witnesses

Homily for the Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude

The list of the names of the apostles as it appears in the Gospel of Saint Luke includes an important statement: “Jesus went up the mountain to pray.” This particular statement appears quite frequently in the Gospel of Saint Luke, and it usually points to an important occurrence. Today's feast invites us to honor two apostles who stand somewhat quietly in the pages of the Gospel. Peter, James, and John appear frequently. We know their strengths, their failures, and their personalities. Simon and Jude, however, remain largely hidden from us. Yet the Church celebrates their feast with great joy.

The Gospel tells us that before choosing the Twelve, Jesus spent the night in communion with his Father. When day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve from among them, including Simon and Jude. Before they were apostles, they were first known and loved by Christ. That is true for us as well. Long before we chose Christ, Christ chose us. Long before we responded to a vocation, entered religious life, were ordained, were married, or discovered the particular path God intended for us, we existed within the loving gaze of God. Our calling began not with our decision but with God's initiative.

That realization can be wonderfully freeing. We sometimes measure our lives by accomplishments, successes, or visible results. Yet Simon and Jude remind us that our deepest identity rests elsewhere. Their names have endured through twenty centuries not because they sought recognition but because they answered the Lord's call.

Saint Paul develops that theme beautifully in the Letter to the Ephesians. We are no longer strangers and sojourners. We have become members of God's household, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone. A building depends not only on its cornerstone but also upon countless stones joined together into a single structure. Some stones are visible. Others remain hidden. Yet each has its place and purpose. Most of the apostles themselves spent their lives far from the spotlight. They preached, traveled, suffered, and served. Their greatness was found not in fame but in fidelity.

Paul says that in Christ "the whole structure is held together." That phrase is especially important. The Church is not held together by our plans, our achievements, or even our strengths. It is Christ who holds us together. Christ is the cornerstone. Christ is the source of our unity. Christ is the one who transforms individual lives into a dwelling place for God. And that leads naturally to today's psalm: "Their message goes out through all the earth."

The apostles did indeed carry the Gospel throughout the world, but their message spread not only through their words. It spread through their lives. People encountered in them something of the presence of Christ.

Simon and Jude may seem to stand quietly at the edge of the Gospel story, but their feast reminds us that God does some of God's finest work through lives that appear ordinary. What matters is not how prominently we stand before others. What matters is whether we allow ourselves to be built into that holy temple whose cornerstone is Christ.

And if we do, then, like Simon and Jude, our lives will proclaim the Gospel long after our voices have fallen silent.