Saint Jude, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, has two other names Judas Thaddeus and Jude of James. The meaning of his name Jude is “giver of joy” and the meaning of Thaddeus is “the great-hearted one”. He is generally portrayed with a club or axe as they symbolize the way he died.
He’s known to a vast number of people as Patron Saint of Hopeless and Impossible Causes. He preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Lybia with utmost passion and sometimes in tenacious situations.
Besides being one of the twelve original apostles of Jesus, Jude also was a cousin of Jesus. So it’s needless to say that he learned everything from Jesus from a very early age and was passionately devoted to spreading the teachings of Jesus to the whole world. The journey of his life +was full of ups and downs along with some learnable facts for his followers.
In this article, you’ll get to learn about some of the highlighted events of St. Jude’s life along with how he became a saint.
Early Life Of St. Jude
There’s confusion about the exact place where St. Jude was born. Some say it was Paneas City which is located in present Israel which is also called Baniyas whilst others say it was Galilee city where St. Jude was born. However, He was born into a Jewish family in 1 AD to his mother Mary who was a cousin to Jesus’s mother, and his father Cleophas who was a brother of St. Joseph.
St. Jude did farming for a living like his other family members. It’s estimated by scholars that he spoke Greek and Aramoic like many people his age. Even though there is not much information about Jude’s personal life it is believed that he got married to a girl named Mary whom he knew from childhood and had at least one child. There are some references which prove that his grandchildren lived as late as 95 AD.
One of St. Jude’s brothers, St. James was also one of Jesus’s original apostles. St. James was the first apostle to be martyred and is the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament.
Ministry Of St. Jude
After becoming an apostle of Jesus, he started preaching the Gospel to the places where people were in disbelief of Christ and refused to devote themselves to Jesus. Being one of the original 12 earthly disciples of Jesus, Jude fought through any obstacle that came his way and spread the good news of Jesus throughout Galilee, Samaria, and Judea.
St. Jude became the leader of the church of the East after he traveled to Mesopotamia present-day Iraq in 37 AD. This well-known church was founded by St. Thomas in the first century. It is said by many that St. Jude had not only brought the people of Mesopotamia to the holy path of Christianity but also civilized the people who were living like ferocious animals in this city.
St. Jude continued preaching the Gospel in Libya, Turkey, and Persia along with St. Simon and turned many people in those places into believers of Christ during this significant journey.
St. Jude is also known for helping the early creation of the Armenian church beyond the Roman Border. He was the founding father and the first Catholic patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
One of the most significant events of his life was when he returned to Jerusalem to assist his brother St. Simon at the Election in 62 AD as Bishop of Jerusalem. These two inseparable brothers died while fighting for their faith on the same day in Beirut
St. Jude was beloved by many people during his living time because of his holy power of curing fatal sicknesses and giving people a new healthy life. He not only cured people of health problems but also of financial and emotional problems with the power of the holy spirit. His historical cure was the Governor of the city of Edessa, Abgarus.
In his devoted life to Jesus, St. Jude wrote a letter which is now known as the Epistle of Jude. This short but highly impactful letter addresses faith in Christ, and false teachings, and motivates people who believe in Christ to remain rigid in their faith.
How Did St. Jude Become A Saint
The procedure of becoming a saint begins by analyzing if that person has lived a holy life. The process of canonization only begins when a person is believed to be strongly faithful and devoted to god. Research on the candidate’s entire life, writings, and miracles is very important in order to make them a saint.
St. Jude became a saint because of his immense love and faith in Jesus and his firm dedication to giving lost people a true guide to becoming a loyal devoter of god. In his lifetime he also caused a lot of miracles that saved many people’s lives.
Although the canonization of St. Jude never happened as he was martyred before the canonization procedure could begin he was a fitting candidate to be canonized. He never stopped turning people towards god and stayed rigid in his faith even while he was being murdered.
Martyrdom Of St. Jude
The first Century C.E. was the year when this great believer and loyal apostle of Jesus was martyred. The whole occurrence of the murder of St. Jude was very brutal and agonizing. A saint who always wanted good for the people surely didn’t deserve such tormenting death.
His unfeigned labor and great enthusiasm became the reason for the hatred of some unbelievers. St. Jude traveled to Beirut to bring these lost people to the right path but these people were blinded by their ego and unfaithfulness.
Those people filled with hatred had beaten St. Jude to his unconsciousness. When St. Jude’s motionless body was lying on the ground, they took an axe and severed St. Jude’s head from his body with a blow of the board axe.
After the holy soul of St. Jude left the earth, his body was brought to Rome and left in a crypt in St. Peter’s Basilica. Believers of Christ now celebrate his feast day on October 28th. On this day many people come to visit the church in St. Jude’s honor.
Conclusion:
The virile and devoted life of St. Jude gives us a lot of things to learn. We can apply those lessons in our daily lives to become loyal and faithful to Christ and live a holy life in the path of Jesus. The story of his heroism teaches us to stay firm in our beliefs even when death is right in front of us.
