FEAST
OF ST. SIMON AND JUDE
Job, Chapter 37,
Verse 24
Therefore
people fear him; none can see him, however wise their hearts.
We cannot see God, but we can see
His justice which condemns self-righteousness and is good to all; both the evil
and the virtuous. Elihu proclaims God’s majesty is revealed in the entire
universe and due to this majesty men are fearful.
Not even Moses saw God; although he talked to the LORD “face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10) – meaning in a conversational manner – the Scripture is clear that he didn’t really see God’s face (see Exodus 33:18-23). In addition it took a few centuries for mortal minds to fully wrap around the idea of the Trinity, even though it’s clearly in the Gospels (see, for example, Matthew 28:19). So it’s understandable that they say things that seem a bit askew to modern ears. And yet . . . is there more wisdom to be gleaned here? In Mark we see how Jesus walked on water after the miracle of feeding the five thousand. “But at once he spoke with them, ‘Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!’ He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were completely astounded. They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.” Christ’s answer of “It is I” is literally translated as “I am,” which points to the divine revelation found – among other places – in Exodus 3:14 (“God replied, ‘I am who am,’ Then he added, ‘This is what you shall tell the Israelites: IAM sent me to you.'”). Look at the last two sentences from Mark: “They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.” What did they not understand? Why were their hearts hardened? Simply put, they didn’t understand the signs of Christ’s divinity. Their hearts were hardened to the truth that was before them: That Jesus was God. If you were walking along the street two thousand years ago and saw Jesus, you would not immediately know he was God. You would not “see” him. Similarly, if a nonbeliever saw the Eucharist, he would not “see” Christ, even though we know Scripture and Tradition clearly indicate he is physically there with us during that Sacrament. And even if we believe we are practicing Catholics, in our hearts, are we sure we are “seeing” Christ? About half of American Catholics don’t believe that – during Communion – the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus. (I can’t find statistics worldwide, but I suspect there are a large number of Catholics across the globe who don’t understand or accept the doctrine of transubstantiation.) In the Gospel of Mark, we learn of those who saw the truth but didn’t believe, and their hearts were hardened. Let us remain ever vigilant that – through Sacraments, Scripture, prayer, and more – we have ample opportunity to know God. If we fail to do so, the fault is with us.
1376 The Council of
Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: "Because Christ our
Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species
of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy
Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine
there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the
substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine
into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has
fittingly and properly called transubstantiation."
1413 By the
consecration the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and
Blood of Christ is brought about. Under the consecrated species of bread and
wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and
substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity.
ST. SIMON and St. Jude were probably brothers; the
former received the surname Canaanite, to distinguish him from Simon Peter,
either because he was a native of Cana, or because of his zeal for Christ (Luke
v L 15; Acts i. 13). Judas was surnamed Thaddeus, or Lebbeus, to distinguish
him from Judas Iscariot. Both were chosen apostles by Christ, and were constant
witnesses of His life and deeds. It is related of them in the Martyrology that
the light of faith was communicated to Egypt and other countries of Africa by
Simon, and to Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Greater Armenia by Thaddeus.
Meeting in Persia, and propagating the Christian faith there by their preaching
and miracles, they both gained the crown of martyrdom. There is extant an
epistle of St. Jude which the Church has incorporated into the Holy Scriptures.
From these two apostles learn to have zeal for the glory of God, for your own
salvation and for that of your neighbor.
Prayer.
O God, Who, by means of Thy blessed apostles Simon
and Jude, hast granted us to come to the knowledge of Thy name, grant that we
may celebrate their eternal glory by making progress in virtue and improve by
this celebration.
EPISTLE. Ephes. iv. 7-13.
Brethren: To every one of us is given grace
according to the measure of the giving of Christ. Wherefore He saith: Ascending
on high He led captivity captive; He gave gifts to men. Now that He ascended,
what is it, but because He also descended first into the lower parts of the
earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended above all the heavens,
that He might fill all things. And He gave some apostles, and some prophets,
and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors: for the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ: until we all meet into the unity of faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the
fulness of Christ.
GOSPEL. John xv. 17-25.
Explanation.
Saint Simon and Jude[3]
St. Simon is represented in art with a saw, the instrument of his martyrdom. St. Jude's square points him out as an architect of the house of God. St. Paul called himself by this name; and St. Jude, by his Catholic Epistle, has also a special right to be reckoned among our Lord's principal workmen. But our apostle had another nobility, far surpassing all earthly titles: being nephew, by his father Cleophas or Alpheus, to St. Joseph, and legal cousin to the Man-God, Jude was one of those called by their compatriots the brethren of the carpenter's Son. We may gather from St. John's Gospel another precious detail concerning him. In the admirable discourse at the close of the last Supper, our Lord said: "He that loveth Me, shall be loved of My Father: and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him." Then Jude asked Him: "Lord, how is it, that Thou wilt manifest Thyself to us, and not to the world?" And he received from Jesus this reply: "If any one love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and will make Our abode with him. He that loveth Me not keepeth not My word. And the word which you have heard is not Mine, but the Fathers who sent Me."
St. Jude
Patron: Desperate
situations; forgotten causes; hospital workers; hospitals; impossible causes;
lost causes; diocese of Saint Petersburg, Florida.
St. Simon
Patron: Curriers; sawmen; sawyers;
tanners.
·
Traditional
Jewish homes commonly have a pushke, a box for collecting coins for the poor,
and coins are routinely placed in the box. Jewish youths are continually going
from door to door collecting for various worthy causes.
·
A
standard mourner's prayer includes a statement that the mourner will make a
donation to charity in memory of the deceased.
·
In
many ways, charitable donation has taken the place of animal sacrifice in
Jewish life: giving to charity is an almost instinctive Jewish response to
express thanks to G-d, to ask forgiveness from G-d, or to request a favor from
G-d.
·
According
to Jewish tradition, the spiritual benefit of giving to the poor is so great
that a beggar actually does the giver a favor by giving a person the opportunity
to perform tzedakah.
The Meaning of the Word
"Tzedakah"
·
The
nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity. The word
"charity" suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by
the wealthy and powerful for the benefit of the poor and needy.
·
The
word "tzedakah" is derived from the Hebrew root Tzadei-Dalet-Qof,
meaning righteousness, justice or fairness.
·
In
Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act; it is
simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving
the poor their due.
The Obligation of Tzedakah
·
Tzedakah
is the highest of all commandments, equal to all of them combined, and that a
person who does not perform tzedakah is equivalent to an idol worshipper.
·
This
is probably hyperbole, but it illustrates the importance of tzedakah in Jewish
thought.
·
Tzedakah
is one of the three acts that gain us forgiveness from our sins.
·
The
High Holiday liturgy repeatedly states that G-d has inscribed a judgment
against all who have sinned, but teshuvah (repentance), tefilah (prayer) and
tzedakah can alleviate the decree. See Days
of Awe.
·
According
to Jewish law, we are required to give one-tenth of our income to the poor.
·
This
is generally interpreted as one-tenth of our net income after payment of taxes.
·
Taxes
themselves do not fulfill our obligation to give tzedakah, even though a
significant portion of tax revenues in America and many other countries are
used to provide for the poor and needy.
·
Those
who are dependent on public assistance or living on the edge of subsistence may
give less, but must still give to the
extent they are able; however, no person should give so much that he would
become a public burden.
·
The
obligation to perform tzedakah can be fulfilled by giving money to the poor, to
health care institutions, to synagogues or to educational institutions.
·
It
can also be fulfilled by supporting your children beyond the age when you are
legally required to, or supporting your parents in their old age.
·
The
obligation includes giving to both Jews and gentiles; contrary to popular
belief, Jews do not just "take care of our own." Quite the contrary,
a study reported in the Jewish Journal indicated that Jewish "mega-donors" (who
give more than $10 million a year to charity) found that only 6% of their
mega-dollars went to specifically Jewish causes.
·
Judaism
acknowledges that many people who ask for charity have no genuine need. In
fact, the Talmud suggests that this is a good thing: if all people who asked
for charity were in genuine need, we would be subject to punishment (from G-d)
for refusing anyone who asked.
·
The
existence of frauds diminishes our liability for failing to give to all who
ask, because we have some legitimate basis for doubting the beggar's sincerity.
·
It
is permissible to investigate the legitimacy of a charity before donating to
it.
·
We
have an obligation to avoid becoming in need of tzedakah.
·
A
person should take any work that is
available, even if he thinks it is beneath his dignity, to avoid becoming a
public charge.
·
However,
if a person is truly in need and has no way to obtain money on his own he
should not feel embarrassed to accept tzedakah.
·
No
person should feel too proud to take money from others.
·
It
is considered a transgression to refuse tzedakah. One source says that to make
yourself suffer by refusing to accept tzedakah is equivalent to shedding your
own blood.
Levels of Tzedakah
Certain kinds of tzedakah
are considered more meritorious than others. The Talmud describes these different levels
of tzedakah, and Rambam organized them into a list. The
levels of charity, from the least meritorious to the most meritorious, are: - Giving
begrudgingly
- Giving less
that you should but giving it cheerfully.
- Giving after
being asked
- Giving before
being asked
- Giving when
you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your
identity
- Giving when
you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your
identity
- Giving when
neither party knows the other's identity
- Enabling the
recipient to become self-reliant
World Hepatitis Day[5]
World
Hepatitis Day seeks to raise awareness for the spectrum of Hepatitis diseases.
Hepatitis diseases cause inflammation of the liver cells. There are five main
types of hepatitis, A, B, C, D and E. It is estimated that around 250 million
people worldwide are infected with Hepatitis C and 300 million people are
Hepatitis B carriers.
World Hepatitis Day was proclaimed by the World Health Organization. It is celebrated annually on July 28th.
World Hepatitis Day was proclaimed by the World Health Organization. It is celebrated annually on July 28th.
World Hepatitis Day Facts
Hepatitis
A is usually transmitted by consuming contaminated food or water or coming into
contact with an infected person's feces.
Hepatitis
B is a sexually transmitted disease. It is transmitted through exposure to
infected blood or body fluids.
Hepatitis
B is spread via blood of an infected person.
Hepatitis
can also be caused by alcohol and other toxins and infections.
The Nuremberg Code
(1947) was prompted by the horrific and often deadly experimentation on human
beings in Nazi concentration camps that came to light during the “Doctors’
Trials” before the Nuremberg Military Tribunals. The main principles of the
Nuremberg Code require that experiments involving human subjects cause no
unnecessary risk, be undertaken with the full and informed consent of the
subjects and must never knowingly cause serious injury or death. Nazi doctors
were not the first, nor the last, to perform inhumane and sometimes disabling
research on unsuspecting human subjects living in poverty, in prisons, mental
health institutions, and orphanages. The Tuskegee syphilis experiments, the
Stateville Penitentiary Malaria Study, and the Willowbrook (Long Island) State
School experiments—in which children with mental disabilities were
intentionally infected with viral hepatitis—are just a few
examples of cases in which doctors put the pursuit of knowledge and “cures”
ahead of the lives and well-being of individual human beings. The Nuremberg
Code inspired other declarations of medical and research ethics. In 1948, the
World Medical Association approved a statement addressing the ethics of
physicians, the Declaration of Geneva. As originally adopted, it read in part:
“I will maintain the utmost respect for human life, from the time of
conception; even under threat, I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to
the laws of humanity.”
Daily Devotions
[2]
Goffine’s Devout Instructions, 1896.
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