When Jesus embarked on his mission he chose twelve men to be his apostles. In His choice of the twelve, we see a characteristic feature of God’s work: they were ordinary people with no special education and no social advantages; they were non-professionals, who had no wealth or position. Jesus chose these men, not for what they were, but for what they would be capable of becoming. Being with Him, they learned to reach out to people in love. As they preached, healed and gave the people a sense of hope, they became a part of God’s household, the foundations of a building with Jesus as the cornerstone.

Among the twelve were Simon and Jude, the saints we honour today. Gathering from his surname, Simon probably belonged to the party of the patriotic Zealots preparing to throw off the yoke of the Romans until he joined Jesus. Jude is believed to be the cousin of Jesus and also the author of the last Epistle in the New Testament which is said to contain strong doctrine in a few lines.

The Lord continues to call ordinary people to give witness to His Kingdom. In what way do I feel called?