THE LIFE OF CHRIST THE CHOOSING OF THE TWELVE Two of the Apostles were relatives of our Lord namely, James and Jude. They are called brethren of Our Lord, but in Aramaic and Hebrew this word often means cousins or distant relatives. We know that Mary had no other children but Jesus. The phrase my dear brethren, as used so often in the pulpit, does not imply that all the members of the congregation have the same mother. Scripture often uses brethren in the wide sense. For example, Lot is called the brother of Abraham, whereas he was actually his nephew; Laban is called the brother of Jacob, but he was his uncle. So it is with the brethren of Our Lord. These two Apostles, James the Less and Jude, were probably the sons of Cleophas, who was married to Our Ladys sister. Jude had three names. Having the same name as Judas the traitor, he is always described negatively as not the Iscariot. The night of the Last Supper, he questioned Our Lord about the Holy Spirit, or how He would be invisible and yet manifest Himself after His Resurrection. There had always been lurking in the minds of many of the Apostles a desire to see some great flashing Messianic glory that would open blind eyes and capture every intelligence. Here Judas, not the Iscariot, said to Him, Lord, how comes it that Thou wilt only reveal Thyself to us, and not to the world? John 14:22 The answer of Our Lord to Jude was that when our responsive love melts into obedience, then God makes His dwelling within us. Later on, Jude, sometimes called Thaddeus, wrote an Epistle beginning with words which reflected the answer he received on Holy Thursday night: Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who have met with loving kindness from God the Father, those whom He has set apart for Jesus christ, and called them, mercy and peace and love be yours, in full measure. Jude 1:1-1 The Life of Christ, Bishop Sheen, P24 (e-reader) LITANY FOR PRIESTS Priests who are sad: console them, Lord. Priests who are worried: give them peace, Lord. Priest who are old: sustain them, Lord. Priests who are alone: accompany them, Lord. Missionary priests: protect them, Lord. Priests who are preachers: enlighten them, Lord. Priest who direct souls: instruct them, Lord. Priests and religious who have died: bring them to glory, Lord. paxetbonum.net/pfp3.html#55
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 12:52:05 +0000
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