ST. JUDE
ST. JUDE
FEAST October 28
LIFE Also called Thaddeus or Lebbaeus. Brother of St. James the Less and son of Cleophas and Mary, who stood at the foot of the Cross. Cousin of Jesus whom he physically resembled. Writer of a New Testament epistle. Preached in Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia with St. Simon. St. Jude was both a healer and exorcist until martyred circa 107 in Beirut, then beheaded postmortem in Persia. His name’s similarity to Judas Iscariot’s led many believers to shy away from invoking it; thus St. Jude became a patron of hopeless causes.
SYMBOLS St. Jude holds a club, representing the kind of martyrdom he suffered alongside St. Simon.
PATRONAGE hospital workers, hospitals, desperate situations; impossible, forgotten, and lost causes
SCRIPTURE TO PONDER Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy…. Psalm 103:2-4 NRSV
Hopeful
As a healer and exorcist, St. Jude was able to bring the immeasurable power of God into countless painful, horrific, scary situations – and watch them become beautiful.
Do I wonder if my difficult situation has a solution? Do I long for the kind of hope and healing St. Jude brought to others?