Why Are Saints Simon & Jude Celebrated Together?

Today the Church celebrates the feast day of two apostles: Saints Simon and Jude! Their joint feast day is an important reminder of our call to discipleship and fellowship.

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. – Luke 6:12-16

In this Gospel reading, we reflect on the calling of the Twelve Apostles and how Jesus works through these ordinary men to accomplish the extraordinary. Jesus calls each of the twelve apostles by name, individually inviting each of them to walk with Him. Yet through this deeply personal call, Jesus creates a joint mission and fellowship between the disciples.

The feast day of Saints Simon and Jude reminds us of the importance of living in communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead of striving for individual praise and attention, our goal should be to build up the body of Christ and serve the Church wholeheartedly. We celebrate Saints Simon and Jude together to highlight that the Christian life relies on living in fellowship with each other.

Though relatively little is known about their individual lives (they are often confused with the other apostles with whom they share names, Saint Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot), the Western tradition of the Church posits that Saints Simon and Jude preached in Persia together where they both suffered martyrdom. It is easy to imagine how the bond of Christian friendship must have united Saints Simon and Jude as they lived, preached, and were martyred together. The bones of the two saints even share the same tomb in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. No wonder they share the same feast day! The joint evangelical mission of Saints Simon and Jude reminds us of the importance of living and working within Christian fellowship. One cannot journey to Christ alone.

Our work is useless unless it is tied with love to the Body of Christ, the Church. Like Saints Simon and Jude, we are called by name to walk with Christ and each other. On this feast of two great disciples, take some time to reflect on how God is calling you by name to be His disciple. How might we better live by the examples of Saints Simon and Jude and work toward building the body of Christ together?