Each year on October 28, the Church honors two lesser-known Apostles, Simon the Zealot and Jude Thaddeus. Their names might not appear as often in Scripture as Peter or John, yet their quiet faith continues to echo across centuries, especially in moments when life feels impossible.

For many Catholics, Saint Jude has become a spiritual companion in times of desperation. He’s the Apostle you call on when all the stoplights turn red, the deadlines loom, and hope seems just out of reach. I’ve learned that firsthand.

The Apostle with Many Names

The Gospels refer to him in several ways: “Jude Thaddeus,” “Judas the son of James,” and sometimes “Thaddaeus” alone. In his own short New Testament letter, he simply calls himself “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James.”

Pope Benedict XVI reflected on this humble introduction, noting that Jude’s identity wasn’t found in his status as an Apostle but in his relationships—to Christ, to his brother, and to the faith. He was, in every sense, a man of communion.

At the Last Supper, John records Jude’s only spoken words: “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world?” (John 14:22). It’s an honest, practical question that could easily come from a weary parent or student trying to see God in the middle of ordinary life.

The German pope called Jude’s question “a very timely one,” because it asks what we still ask today: Why doesn’t God make His presence obvious? Why doesn’t the Risen Lord reveal Himself in glory to everyone at once? Jesus’ response was not a lecture but an invitation: “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

Pope Benedict explained, “The Risen One must be perceived by the heart… He desires to enter our lives, and therefore his manifestation presupposes an open heart.”
That line captures the essence of Saint Jude’s mission: faith seen with the heart.

Apostle of the Impossible

After Pentecost, tradition tells us that Jude preached in Mesopotamia and later in Persia, often alongside Saint Simon. Together they proclaimed Christ to people who had never heard His name and ultimately sealed their witness with martyrdom.

In the centuries that followed, Jude’s name—so close to Judas—caused confusion and hesitation. People feared calling on him in prayer, lest they accidentally invoke the wrong Judas. Eventually, he became the saint of last resort, the one you turn to when every other door has closed.

That misunderstanding revealed his true vocation. The forgotten Apostle became the patron of forgotten souls. The overlooked disciple became the intercessor of the overlooked. In God’s hands, even our missteps and misunderstandings can bear fruit.

My Encounter with Saint Jude

I met Saint Jude in a very real way on September 25, 2023. The relics of the Apostle were visiting my city, and by what can only be called a series of providential green lights, I managed to get there with my kids just before the doors closed. We prayed before his relics, touched the reliquary, and left with holy cards and pamphlets.

Looking back, I realize Jude was already at work, clearing obstacles—both literal and spiritual—to make sure I didn’t miss that moment of grace.

A year later, I prayed for his novena during a daunting project: launching a new Catholic magazine. The task felt beyond my ability, but with Saint Jude’s intercession, things fell into place. Partnerships formed, deadlines were met, and what once felt impossible became real.

This year our family plans to pray the Saint Jude Novena together during night prayer leading up to his feast day. We’ll be asking not only for miracles but for faith like Jude’s, faith that sees Christ not in thunder or spectacle but in the quiet spaces of the heart.

A Letter for the Faithful

Saint Jude’s brief letter in the New Testament is a hidden gem. It warns believers to “contend for the faith” amid confusion and false teaching, and to remain steadfast in hope. Benedict XVI described it as “a powerful appeal to vigilance,” reminding Christians that even amid a culture of compromise, the call to holiness remains clear.

Jude writes vividly of false teachers as “waterless clouds” and “fruitless trees,” imagery that still rings true in an age of empty promises and shallow ideologies. Yet his letter ends not in warning but in worship:
“To Him who is able to keep you from falling… be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever.”

That’s Jude’s final word to us—not despair, but praise.

Why Saint Jude Still Matters

Saint Jude isn’t merely the saint of “lost causes.” He’s the Apostle who shows us that God’s presence is not limited by our circumstances. His feast reminds us that faith doesn’t mean escaping difficulty; it means letting Christ dwell in the middle of it.

In a world often overwhelmed by division, Benedict’s reflection on Jude and Simon offers one last reminder: “In the group of the Twelve… they all lived side by side, overcoming imaginable difficulties. What bound them together was Jesus Himself.”

Saint Jude Thaddeus, Apostle of the Impossible, pray for us and for all who are trying to see God’s hand at work in the traffic of daily life.

Related Links

Saint Jude: Patron of the Impossible

Pope Benedict XVI on Saint Jude