Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Tuesday, 28 October 2014

Roman Catholic The Word Among Us Daily Mass Reading & Daily Meditation for Tuesday, 28 October 2014
Meditation: Ephesians 2:19-22 That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.
Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles
You are fellow citizens with the holy ones. (Ephesians 2:19)
Have you ever admired a family member so deeply that you were willing to devote your life to their cause? Many people find it hard to rise above old family rivalries in this way, but this is exactly what St. Jude succeeded in doing. Scripture describes him as a “brother,” that is, a near relative of the Lord. Unlike other members of Jesus’ extended family who at one point thought he was mad, Jude humbly accepted Jesus first as his Rabbi and eventually as his Lord.
So little do we know about this apostle who is usually paired with Simon and whose name appears just before Judas that we aren’t even sure of his name. Some scholars believe that he is the “Thaddeus” named by Matthew and Mark.
After the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples on Pentecost, tradition says that Jude traveled to Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), where he contended with sorcerers and magicians to preach the good news of the gospel, and was martyred by being clubbed to death. At some point and for unknown reasons, people began seeking his intercession in matters that seemed hopeless.
The disciple who shares Jude’s feast day is also largely a mystery. “Simon”—not Simon Peter—is described as both “Simon the Canaanite” and “Simon who was called the Zealot.” The Zealots provoked a failed revolt against Roman rule in a.d. 66–70. Were they also active thirty years earlier, during Jesus’ lifetime? Or did the word “Zealot” mean that Simon was on fire with zeal for the gospel? We don’t know. Tradition tells us that after preaching in Egypt, Simon joined Jude in Persia and was later martyred with him.
All Christians today trace our faith to those first disciples who left everything familiar to share the good news with strangers. Today’s feast reminds us to pray for modern-day apostles who leave home and family and risk their lives to bring the love of Jesus to those still waiting to hear about him.
“Lord Jesus, may those who leave home and family and risk all for the gospel be supported by your Spirit in the difficult task of bringing your good news to an often hostile world.” Amen!
Psalm 19: A David Psalm
1-2 God’s glory is on tour in the skies,
    God-craft on exhibit across the horizon.
Madame Day holds classes every morning,
    Professor Night lectures each evening.
3-4 Their words aren’t heard,
    their voices aren’t recorded,
But their silence fills the earth:
    unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.
4-5 God makes a huge dome
    for the sun—a superdome!
The morning sun’s a new husband
    leaping from his honeymoon bed,
The daybreaking sun an athlete
    racing to the tape.
Luke 6: The Twelve Apostles
12-16 At about that same time he climbed a mountain to pray. He was there all night in prayer before God. The next day he summoned his disciples; from them he selected twelve he designated as apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter,
Andrew, his brother,
James,
John,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
Matthew,
Thomas,
James, son of Alphaeus,
Simon, called the Zealot,
Judas, son of James,
Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
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