Feast of Saints SIMON AND JUDE, Apostles
Eph 2: 19-22; Ps 19: 2-5; Lk 6: 12-16
Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Simon and Jude, two Apostles who stand in the shadow of the more widely known figures like Peter, James, and John, yet whose silent and steadfast witness forms part of the very foundation of our faith. The readings for their feast give a spiritual blueprint of the Church, formed by a communion of persons united in Christ.
In the first reading, we see we are built upon the foundation (Themelios / θεμέλιος) of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the main cornerstone (Akrogoniaios / ἀκρογωνιαῖος). Paul uses themelios, which means being grounded or set down upon something. In ancient construction, the themelios of a temple was laid deep into the bedrock. The Apostles and prophets are not the ultimate source of the building, but they are the primarily resting directly upon the living rock of Christ. Christ is called the akrogoniaios. An akra means “highest/outermost,” and gonia means “corner.” This is not a decorative capstone at the top of an arch; it is the cornerstone placed at the crucial intersection of two walls, holding the entire edifice together, keeping both Jews and Gentiles unified in one divine alignment.
In him (Christ) the whole structure is held together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. We are closely fitted stones, like in a puzzle and form a close-knit structure. A building does not normally grow; plants and bodies grow. By describing the temple as growing, Paul indicates that the Church is a living organism, the mystical body of Christ, growing dynamically through grace.
WISDOM TO LIVE
Just as ancient builders chiselled and shaped irregular stones so they would lock tightly together without mortar, God is working with our rough edges. The frustrations, community friction, and daily sacrifices we experience are often the chisels by which we are fitted into the living walls of His Church. We cannot build our spiritual lives in isolation; we require the pressure and support of the other stones around us. Simon was called “the Zealot” was someone fiercely passionate about God’s law. Jude on the other hand is remembered as the patron of desperate causes, pointing people to steadfast hope when all seems lost. Holiness does not erase our temperament; it sanctifies it. Our zeal must be channelled not into tearing down, but into building up the temple of God through love and endurance.
WISDOM FROM THE TREASURY OF THE CHURCH
“The living stones of the heavenly Jerusalem are polished by trials, shaped by tribulations, and cemented by the Holy Spirit. Do not fear the mallet and the chisel of the Divine Craftsman. He is only chipping away what is superfluous, preparing you to fit flush against the cornerstone, Jesus Christ, in the eternal architecture of His love.” – Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (Sermons on the Song of Songs)
“Observe how Paul places Christ as the cornerstone, upon whom the whole building rests. A stone at the corner holds together two walls meeting at an angle. Christ holds together both Jew and Gentile, bond and free, men of every tongue and nation, uniting them in the single foundation of the Apostles and Prophets so that the heavenly dwelling might rise in harmony.” – Saint John Chrysostom (Homily on Ephesians)
WISDOM FROM THE CARMEL
“His Majesty cares little for our fine buildings if we neglect the true temple of our souls. He desires that we enter deep within ourselves, into the center of the castle where He dwells, allowing Him to be the architect of our will. When we surrender our restless striving, He builds a sanctuary of profound peace within us, one that no earthly storm can dismantle.” – Saint Teresa of Ávila (The Interior Castle, Fifth Mansion)
“Jesus set me in the building of His Church not as a polished marble column meant to support a grand cathedral, but as a tiny, hidden grain of sand, or a simple little flower in His garden. It is enough for me to stay small, resting securely against the foundation of His mercy, letting Him do the building.” – Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (Story of a Soul)
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