On Wednesday, October 28, the feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles, our pilgrims were on the island of Santorini, where Fr. Wilson celebrated Mass in the Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Fira. Built in 1823, the cathedral was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1956 and reopened for worship in 1975.
You are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Ephesians 2:19-20, from the first reading of the feast
Homily on Santorini
Saints Simon and Jude are two of the lesser-known apostles. By tradition, they went to Persia to evangelize and were martyred in Persia. At some point there was concern that their relics were at risk, and so their relics were transferred to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
If you’ve ever visited St. Peter’s Basilica: walking in, you come to the high altar, take a left, and at the very back of that transept, underneath the altar dedicated to St. Joseph, you will find the relics of two apostles, Saints Simon and Jude. I remember being struck by that. Here we were in this beautiful, massive basilica built in honor of St. Peter, and just off to the side, underneath an altar dedicated to St. Joseph, are two apostles, Simon and Jude. There’s a story there, maybe a lesson in humility, in life and in death.
Jude shares the same name as Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus. We say “Jude,” I think, to lessen the connection, but they share the same name. One theory about why St. Jude is so popular as the patron of hopeless causes is that he was the apostle nobody was praying to, so if nobody else was listening, maybe Jude would help you out! And so there’s that tradition, and we know that his intercession is very powerful, and that many people are devoted to St. Jude. In itself, there’s a story there with many, many lessons.
Today we’re reminded of the apostolic nature of the Church. Our Lord established the Church upon the apostles; he sent forth the apostles. We know that St. Paul was chosen late, as he would say (1 Corinthians 15:8), but chosen as an apostle. We know that “apostle” means “sent forth.” We know that the Gospel was handed on through the preaching of the apostles, and that they established churches.
The Church is apostolic for several reasons. First, her origins are in the ministry of the apostles. Second, we have the faith of the apostles. And there is the apostolic structure of the Church, continued through the sacrament of Holy Orders. The Church is apostolic.
On this pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul, we are also reminded that here we are in a place, Santorini, named after a saint, St. Irene. St. Paul didn’t come here, and yet the Christian faith is here. Our Lord began this mission to evangelize the world, sending the apostles into the whole world to proclaim the Gospel, to make disciples and to baptize. And as the apostles went forth, they continued that apostolic mission by instilling it in others and inspiring it in them. So while St. Paul never came here, and no apostle came here, the Christian faith came here, because of that process of evangelization our Lord began, which continues to our own day.
Perhaps that’s something for us to meditate on today. The age of the apostles is long over, but the need, the mission, continues, particularly as we are living in what has been called, in the West, a post-Christian era. Some would argue that this is a time of post-Christendom, a time of returning to the apostolic age. We can see a world marked by the influence of Christianity, but we can also see, increasingly, a world where people are not following Jesus.
And so now is our time to share in the great mission of the Church. Now is our time to take responsibility for that mission in our own way: in our own families, through our own life and community, through our own practice of the faith, our own pursuit of holiness, our own commitment to prayer, our own works of faith, hope and charity. This is a responsibility that we share.
As we walk in the footsteps of St. Paul, and as we celebrate today the apostles Simon and Jude, we ask the Lord for the grace, through the intercession of St. Paul, of Saints Simon and Jude, and of all the apostles, to be faithful to the mission entrusted to us: to live the faith and to share the faith.
