Saint Jude, also known as Judas and
Thaddeus, was one of the twelve apostles, and possibly the author of the
Epistle of Jude. He and his brother, James the Less, were cousins of
Jesus. Their parents were Cleophas, brother of St. Joseph; and Mary, a
relative of the Blessed Virgin, who stood at the foot of the Cross. Jude
is sometimes confused with the betrayer, but in the fourth Gospel John
draws a crucial distinction, referring to him as "Judas, not the
Iscariot."
At the Last Supper when Our
Lord promised to manifest Himself to those who heard Him, Jude asked why
He would not manifest Himself to the whole world. Jesus replied, "If
anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him and we
will come to him and make our abode with him." John 14:22-23.
Ancient writers tell us
that St. Jude preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria,
Mesopotamia, and Lybia. In the year 62, he assisted at the election of St.
Simeon as Bishop of Jerusalem. He is said to have been martyred in
Armenia. Christian art often depicts him holding a club (signifying his
death by beating) or a shepherd's staff (symbolizing his role as an
apostle). The image of Jesus pictured around his neck alludes to his
kinship with the Lord, and also to the legend that Jude used an image of
Jesus to heal King Abgar of Edessa. The green color of his robe is
symbolic of life and hope.
Jude's New Testament letter
stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh,
difficult circumstances. He is invoked by people in desperate situations
as the saint of the impossible, and devotion to him crosses denominational
lines. Relics of St. Jude rest in a reliquary behind an altar at St.
Peter's Basilica in Rome, at Rheims, and at Toulouse, France.
