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About St. Jude

St. Jude

Not a lot is known about St. Jude’s life. But, because of the great popularity after his death, history has passed down to us the basics of his life and death. The International Shrine of St. Jude, which is for some reason located here in New Orleans, has a brief biography of the illustrious saint.

A Few Things on St. Jude

  1. He was one of the 12 Apostles
  2. His brother was James the Less.
  3. His father, Cleophas, was the brother of St. Joseph.
  4. St. Jude’s mother, Mary of Cleophas, was a cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary: their mothers were sisters.
  5. Jude, and his fellow apostle Bartholomew, are traditionally believed to have been the first to bring Christianity to Armenia, and are therefore venerated as the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
  6. St. Bernard of Clairvaux tells us that St. Jude was courageous because of his virginal purity and the courage he used to protect it.
  7. At the Last Supper Jesus said: “yet a little while and the world no longer sees me. But you shall se me, for I live and you shall live;” (John 14, 19). St. Jude replied, “Lord, how is it that You are to manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” He was very concerned about evangelization.
  8. Tradition reports that after the Ascension of Jesus Christ he set about travel and evangelization. Reported are the miraculous cure of King Abagaro, ruler of Edessa, a city in Mesopotamia, and, in Persia with St. Simon, an unexpected peace for King Varardach. He won over the king and his entire court to the Catholic faith.
  9. St. Bridget of Sweden maintinaed a healthy devotion of prayer for the intercession of St. Jude. In a vision she was encouraged by Jesus, who told her that similar to Jude’s surname, Thaddeus (which means generous, courageous, and kind), “he will show himself to be the most willing to give you help.”
  10. A down and out entertainer in Tennessee invoked the intercession of St. Jude, and in thanksgiving some time later built the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital as a testament to his intercession.

candles

Death of St. Jude

St. Jude is often depicted holding a club, to call to mind that he was eventually clubbed to death by angry pagans. The flame atop his head is a reminder that he was present at Pentecost for the descent of the Holy Spirit.

A Prayer

May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved and preserved now and forever. Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on us, Saint Jude worker of Miracles, pray for us, Saint Jude helper and keeper of the hopeless, pray for us, Thank you Saint Jude.

Novena to St. Jude

St. Jude

Our Parish hosts an annual Novena to St. Jude, which is wrapping up tomorrow. (The Feast of St Jude is on October 28th.) It’s been a wonderful prayer experience.

Here’s a beautiful prayer to St. Jude, who is a great intercessor.

Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.

Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly –
(make your request here) – and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.
Amen

The Economic Document

The world is all abuzz with the new Vatican Document on the Economy presented this morning. A major problem is that it’s impossible to imagine a world with the United Nations functioning as the key financial player, while at the same time having a just world.

Michael Gorbachev is saying basically the same thing as the Vatican.

So is George Soros.

there are some good ideas here (obviously). Yet paragraphs like this one are problematic for me:

In view of the unification of the world engendered by the complex phenomenon of globalization, and of the importance of guaranteeing, in addition to other collective goods, the good of a free, stable world economic and financial system at the service of the real economy, today the teaching of Pacem in Terris appears to be even more vital and worthy of urgent implementation.

Urgent implementation?

No one can be content with seeing man live like “a wolf to his fellow man”, according to the concept expounded by Hobbes.

So we’re denouncing Hobbes, and at the same time promoting an urgent growth of a Hobbesian culture into a worldwide political and economic might, which will somehow be very equitable, fair and just.

It’s a hard sell, to say the least.

Swanning About

Black Swan

Our nearby park has lots of black swans.

So I looked them up today and realized they are from Australia, and then started wondering why we would have them here. And then, I looked them up here and found thousands of gorgeous black swan pictures at our local bird sanctuary.

I guess I had missed that point.

And, I guess I had best start practicing up for some better black swan pictures.

This morning at Mass one of our students was baptized. It was truly a great morning.

And tomorrow, October 22 is the Feast Day of John Paul II.

Outside Rome and Poland, bishops will have to file a formal request with the Vatican to receive permission to mark the feast day, the decree said. The local-only celebration of a blessed’s feast is one of the most noticeable differences between being beatified and being canonized, which makes universal public liturgical veneration possible.

…

The text of the opening prayer for the Mass in honor of Blessed John Paul is: “O God, who are rich in mercy and who willed that the Blessed John Paul II should preside as pope over your universal church, grant, we pray, that instructed by his teaching, we may open our hearts to the saving grace of Christ, the sole redeemer of mankind. Who lives and reigns.”

So, tomorrow is Saturday of the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, and it is not the Feast of John Paul II here. Yet at least.

May the late and great John Paul II continue to pray for the great Church he shepherded.

Fr. Kenneth Allen