Saints Praying with Us - English and Spanish
St. Jude the Apostle
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. [For] whoever does the will of god is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:34-35 NAB)
St. Jude may have been a cousin of Jesus’s, the brother of James the Less, Joses, and Simeon of Jerusalem, the son of Clopas and Mary, the Blessed Virgin’s sister. Over the centuries, probably even during his lifetime, many people confused him with Jesus’ betrayer, Judas Iscariot; there is speculation Jude was called Thaddeus to differentiate him. How difficult that must have been for Jude, to have been confused with one of history’s greatest scoundrels.
Still, the confusion didn’t send Jude into isolation or worse. It appears he married and had at least one child, as there are some references to his two grandchildren. It also didn’t keep Jude from preaching the Good News to the point of his own martyrdom.
His story reminds us that no cause is ever really lost, and that family in the Body of Christ goes beyond human blood. We do fit in, regardless of what others may have done or not done. We are loved by the greatest Father of all.
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for loving me and believing in me when no one else does.
Action: With Jude’s help, write a note or email to a loved one from whom you are estranged, regardless of who was at fault, expressing appreciation for his or her gifts to the world.
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. [For] whoever does the will of god is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:34-35 NAB)
St. Jude may have been a cousin of Jesus’s, the brother of James the Less, Joses, and Simeon of Jerusalem, the son of Clopas and Mary, the Blessed Virgin’s sister. Over the centuries, probably even during his lifetime, many people confused him with Jesus’ betrayer, Judas Iscariot; there is speculation Jude was called Thaddeus to differentiate him. How difficult that must have been for Jude, to have been confused with one of history’s greatest scoundrels.
Still, the confusion didn’t send Jude into isolation or worse. It appears he married and had at least one child, as there are some references to his two grandchildren. It also didn’t keep Jude from preaching the Good News to the point of his own martyrdom.
His story reminds us that no cause is ever really lost, and that family in the Body of Christ goes beyond human blood. We do fit in, regardless of what others may have done or not done. We are loved by the greatest Father of all.
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for loving me and believing in me when no one else does.
Action: With Jude’s help, write a note or email to a loved one from whom you are estranged, regardless of who was at fault, expressing appreciation for his or her gifts to the world.
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St. RitaSt. Rita's family life was far from peaceful. Her husband abused Rita physically and verbally. She prayed. She offered an example of love and forgiveness, and it is said he began to have a change of heart and soul, until an unexpected turn of events...
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St. Catherine of GenoaCatherine’s story reminds us that the Lord does have a plan for us amid family discord, even if it is not readily apparent.
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