On this memorial of Saints Simon and Jude, Fr Peter Wood reads from Luke’s Gospel 6: 12-16) which recalls Jesus choosing the twelve apostles.

Fr Peter says it is great whenever we are able to venerate our saints, we are able to look at role models that we can aspire to in our life.  Today, we recall these two great saints Saint Simon and Saint Jude even though little is known about them other than that they were chosen as apostles. They were chosen for mission by God himself and that ought to connect with us in terms of being called as well.

Fr Peter says, we, too, are chosen for mission. We, too, are called to proclaim the good news; to proclaim the truth; to be able to do so in a way that speaks the truth with love as we hear from St Paul from time to time. We need to recognise that living a life of holiness is not just for a select few but for all. As we look to these two apostles, Fr Peter says, we too might offer our lives as they did so many years ago.

As we think of these two and the rest of the apostles, we hear their story; we hear how, at  moments of weakness, they had succumbed to the broken part of their humanity in terms of the sins they committed but we recognise that God, who healed them and forgave them, gave them the opportunity to embrace the gift of grace they received and to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

We, too, are given that task to help people encounter the love of God, a god who truly loves, who is truly there to walk with us every step of the journey. Fr Peter says, we thank God for these two apostles, as through their intercession let us ask St Simon and St Jude to help us on our mission of the Gospel.