Thoughts for the Day

Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
Because you have said, ‘We have made a covenant with death,
and with Sheol we have an agreement;
when the overwhelming scourge passes through
it will not come to us;
for we have made lies our refuge,
and in falsehood we have taken shelter’;
 therefore thus says the Lord God,
See, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone,
a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation:
‘One who trusts will not panic.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Today we celebrate the festival of Simon and Jude who were named among the 12 Apostles in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Simon (not Simon Peter) is called "the zealot", because he belonged to a resistance movement opposing the Roman occupation. There is no indication in the gospels whether Simon entirely left the zealot party to be a follower of Christ.

Luke describes Jude or Judas as he is often called (not Judas Iscariot) as the son of James, while the letter of Jude has him as the brother of James, either of which is possible. It seems he is the same person as Thaddeus which may have been a last name. Owing to the similarity of his name to that of Judas Iscariot, Jude's name was rarely involved in people's intercessions, being seen as a final resort when all else failed. He became known therefore, as the Patron Saint of lost causes.

Both Apostles were an integral part of the early mission of the Church having witnessed the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. They represent the millions of faithful followers of Christ who have witnessed to the "precious cornerstone (and) sure foundation" that Isaiah mentions in his prophecy, some 800 years before Jesus was born.

Collect

Almighty God,
who built your Church upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets,
with Jesus Christ himself as the chief corner-stone:
so join us together in unity of spirit by their doctrine,
that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you;
through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.