On June 19th we commemorate St. Jude Apostle. Jude was the brother of St. James and son of St. Joseph, Betrothed to the Theotokos. Sometimes he is called Levi or Thaddeus. He protested along with Simon and Hosea when the elderly Joseph wanted to leave a portion of his estate to Jesus upon his death. He was often called ‘brother of James’ out of humility and shame for he did not believe in Christ at first, yet St. James did. He was one of the Twelve Apostles (not to be confused with the Thaddeus of the Seventy Apostles) and after the Ascension he preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Idumea, Syria, Arabia, Mesopotamia, and Armenia. While preaching in the area around Ararat he was captured by pagans, crucified and killed by being shot with arrows. He is referenced in the Synoptic Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and wrote an epistle which is part of the New Testament.
The Gospel Reading for the Feast of the Holy Apostle Jude is John 14: 21-24, which reads “21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” 22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”
