Saint of the Day: St Simon and St Jude (28 October)

Jude interrupts with a question. At the Last Supper, Jesus has been speaking about his coming departure and promising to reveal himself to those who love him. But Jude cannot understand: why will Jesus reveal himself to his disciples, and not to the world? (John 14:22).

It is an honest question at a turning point. The Cross is drawing near, though the disciples do not yet grasp what lies ahead. Jesus answers by speaking of love, obedience and the astonishing promise that the Father and Son will make their home with those who love him (John 14:23).

On Wednesday, 28 October 2026, the Church celebrates St Simon and St Jude, apostles. Their surviving stories are brief, but their witness reaches across the centuries.

Two men called by Jesus

Simon and Jude belonged to the Twelve whom Jesus chose to accompany him and send out to preach.

Simon is called “the Zealot” in Luke’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. This name suggests zeal or fervour, but Scripture does not tell us enough to establish his political background. We should not turn a nickname into a detailed biography.

Jude is distinguished in John’s Gospel from Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus. He is traditionally identified with Thaddaeus, named in the apostolic lists in Matthew and Mark. The Letter of Jude has also traditionally been associated with him, although its authorship is debated.

Neither apostle occupies much space in the Gospel accounts. Yet both were chosen personally by Christ. Their importance rests not on how much was written about them, but on the Lord who called them.

From bewilderment to witness

Simon and Jude shared the disciples’ life with Jesus: hearing his teaching, witnessing his works and learning what it meant to follow him.

After the Resurrection and Ascension, both are named among the apostles gathered in Jerusalem. Together with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the other believers, they devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 1:13–14). Before the Church’s mission spread outwards, its members waited upon God together.

The details of their later journeys are less certain. Tradition holds that Simon and Jude preached in Persia and suffered martyrdom. Accounts differ, so their precise routes and the circumstances of their deaths should not be presented as established history.

What the Church honours is their apostolic witness: lives given to Christ and to the sharing of his Gospel.

Hope when the way seems closed

St Jude is especially invoked as a patron of desperate situations and seemingly hopeless causes. This devotion is not a promise that every difficulty will disappear. Asking his intercession means asking a fellow member of Christ’s body to pray with us and for us before God.

Simon reminds us that zeal finds its proper direction in following Jesus. Jude reminds us that honest questions can belong within faithful discipleship.

Together, they encourage those whose service goes unnoticed. A quiet act of faithfulness, a difficult prayer, a kindness offered without recognition: none is wasted in God’s sight.

A prayer for their intercession

St Simon and St Jude, faithful apostles of Jesus, pray for us. Ask the Lord to strengthen our faith, guide our zeal and sustain our hope when we cannot see a way forward. Help us to love Christ in ordinary things and bear witness to him with courage and gentleness. Amen.

Visit their shrine: The Holy Land