Simon and Judas, Apostles

Biography

Simon is called Simon the Canaanite or Simon Zelotes, to distinguish him from Simon Peter, and Judas, a relative of the Lord, was called Thaddeus, which means "the firm one", "the brave one", "the mighty one". The East and especially Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Persia, remember the example of his apostolate and his life for Christ. SAN SIMON CANAANEO, born in Canaá, was called "the fervent one", because he came from a religious-political party, extremely demanding and "zealous" in compliance with the Law and Jewish traditions. One of the evangelists also calls him Simon "the Fanatic." Simon burned with zeal for the Jewish religion and fought with all his might to throw off the yoke of foreign rule. Perhaps he was a little like Saul in his zeal for the laws and customs of Israel. It is believed that he had a fiery, ardent temperament. But one day grace came to him and the Master called him to follow him, and he, leaving everything, followed him unconditionally. From then on, to distinguish him from Simon Peter, they would call him Simon the Zealots or the Canaanite. Jesus Christ loved him dearly and followed the same fate as the other Apostles. Tradition says that he toured several countries preaching Jesus Christ, especially Mesopotamia and Persia, where he died a martyr. SAINT JUDAS is always called TADEO or "not the traitor", to distinguish him from Iscariot. As a relative of Christ - first cousin of Jesus - he knows him thoroughly. Perhaps he already lived with Jesus before beginning the apostolate. In the heart of Judas Thaddeus the apostolic fire burns before being sent by the Master to preach the Gospel and before the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon them, on the day of Pentecost. For this reason, he will feel that those wonders that he tells them, that the Message of salvation that Christ preaches to them, do not reach all men. Judas possesses, therefore, an ecumenical and universal heart. That is why he wants the Master to extend his mission. We owe one of the canonical Letters to Judas. This is aimed at those who want to follow the true faith and wait for Jesus Christ at his coming. And he humbly introduces himself in his Letter as "a servant of Jesus Christ." During antiquity and almost all of the Middle Ages he was an ignored saint, perhaps because his baneful name was repelled, but in the 14th century, St. Bridget of Sweden recounted in her revelations that the Savior had urged her to confidently address Saint Jude Thaddeus; Since then he came to have great and dramatic veneration. SAN JUDAS is, above all, the last lifeline for those who no longer expect anything; beyond hope, he is still there. This is why it is known as the patron saint of desperate causes, of causes that oneself declares lost. It is believed that after the resurrection of Jesus he preached Christianity in Syria and Mesopotamia, and perhaps died in Persia with Simon, martyred by blows of a gavel, according to the writings of Saint Jerome and other ancient authors.