A feast day celebrates the sacred mysteries and our redemption,
in memory of the Virgin Mary or in memory of saints, apostles
and martyrs. The feast day has two-fold purpose, to remember the
event or the person and by means of reminder stir up within a
soul a greater spiritual life. There are two types of feast days
: universal and particular. The particular feast is celebrated
only by certain dioceses or within certain religious orders. The
feast day of St. Jude is a universal feast day, that is it
is celebrated everywhere in the Latin Rite church and are included
in the Roman calendar.
Second only to St. Mary, St. Jude Thaddeus is the most called
upon saint in modern day prayer throughout the calendar year,
not just on St Jude day. We acknowledge on his feast day
his teachings to Christians to remain steadfast in the faith,
to have fortitude, and to show mercy and to pray to the Holy Spirit.
We recognize Saint Jude Feast that he is the patron saint
of desperate cases. Modern societies have made many speedy and
major changes, putting human beings under tremendous stress in
daily living. People have difficulty handling that stress and
come to realize that newness and change and technology do not
relieve stress and do not give hope and comfort. Prayer and petition
to St. Jude stirs him to help, to provide hope and to provide
help no matter how seemingly hopeless is the situation.
We recognize on the feast of St. Jude that he is the patron
saint of hospitals. Hospitals as a business operation can sometimes
endure major troubles. Purchase of necessary new high technology
equipment can be prohibitively expensive. Upgrades to the existing
plant plus financing of new space can be equally expensive. The
normal daily operations and fair pay to the workforce is sometimes
staggering. St. Jude is always here to help.
We recognize on St. Jude feast that he is the patron saint
of hospital workers. Hospitals are known positively as places
of healing. These settings can also be places of injury, severe
pain, gore, terminal illness, surgery, therapy and death. The
impact of one or all of these can have a debilitating effect on
the life of a hospital worker. The prayers to St. Jude for fortitude
at work and for continued faith in Jesus Christ can have a huge
impact.
We recognize on his St. Jude feast day that he is the
patron saint of desperate situations. People of all ages can sometimes
find themselves or their family in desperate situations. The elderly
person who needs prescriptions refilled but has no insurance and
no money; the middle aged homeowner with a spouse and 3 kids soon
to confront foreclosure and eviction; the young adult that cannot
overcome a drug dependency and has no means to acquire more drugs;
the old, the middle aged, the young, each faces a desperate situation.
St. Jude is there to help if asked.
St. Jude Thaddeus is also acknowledged to be the patron
saint of forgotten causes, impossible causes and lost causes.
These are petitioned to him throughout the calendar year, and
especially on his feast day we call to mind and honor his prayerful
intercession.
Finally, we celebrate St. Jude’s feast day for the
written word in his Letter of St. Jude. Herein, he tells people
down through the ages including modern day to bear witness and
pray to the Holy Spirit. The modern day faithful still get guidance
and assurance from his writing. Some current biblical scholars
link his comments to the New Age life style.
Jude 1:17 But you, my dearly beloved, be mindful of the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who told you that in the last time there should come mockers, walking according to their own desires in ungodliness’s. These are they who separate themselves, sensual men, having not the Spirit.
