Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles
Today we celebrate the Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles. Jesus chose these two individuals from among the larger group of disciples. They had a special vocation.
Today we say that they were not only apostles. They also stood at the beginning of the Church’s history. In them, we recognize the beginnings of what we now know as bishops and priests.
Priestly vocations are so important for the Church. That is why we pray so often for young men discerning the possibility of a priestly vocation in the Church.
Today’s feast is an appropriate time to reflect on how priestly vocations are developed. The Gospel reading is a good place to start. We read: “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.”
Notice how before he chose Simon and Jude, “Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.” Simon and Jude were not chosen because of something they did. They weren’t identified by a human resource person from a bunch of people seeking employment. Priestly vocations start with the prayer of Jesus.
Some years ago, Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “We cannot simply pick the laborers in God’s harvest in the same way that an employer seeks his employees. God must always be asked for them and he himself must choose them for this service” (Jesus of Nazareth, v. 1, p. 170).
Vocations to the priesthood have their origin in the prayerful communion which Jesus has with his heavenly Father. Jesus prays, speaking with his Father, and then he calls disciples to the work of the apostolic priesthood. It is from the intimacy of the Holy Trinity that a priestly vocation springs.
Of course, there is much more. The Gospel of Mark describes it in this way: “Jesus appointed the twelve, whom he also called apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach” (Mark 3:14). Those words describe a priest’s spiritual life (=being with Jesus) and a priest’s work (=sent out to preach).
On this feast, let us pray that our priests will be given the grace to fulfill their priestly vocation.
Reflection by Archbishop Jerome Hanus, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections