ALIGNMENT WITH DIVINE WILL

SAINTS SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES

Eph 2:19-22; Ps 19:2-5; Lk 6:12-19

Their Word goes forth through All the Earth

We celebrate the holy Apostles, Saints Simon and Jude. Each apostle has an interesting background. Simon hailed from Canaan and is often called ‘the Zealot’ because of his political interest and involvement. He belonged to the Zealot party and opposed and fought against Roman rule. Tradition considers him the bridegroom at the wedding in Cana, where the Lord worked his first miracle of turning water into wine. The Lord transformed the zeal of the bridegroom of Canaan for the earthly kingdom of Judah and Israel into zeal for the heavenly kingdom. Saint Jude, on the other hand, was the relative of our Lord. He was usually called his brother, being the son of Mary the wife of Cleophas. He is also the brother of James the Less. So, James and Jude were children of Mary, the relative of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. Scripture gave a brief record of him, for he was of gentle character. His question to Jesus Christ about why he reveals himself only to the apostles, not to the world, shows his deep desire for more people to believe in the divine origin and mission of his cousin. These two apostles enjoyed Christ’s presence in human nature and became transformed into channels of divine operation.

Their individual wills were configured to cooperate with the divine will. The Lord’s presence with them caused their transformations. As we noted in yesterday’s reflection, this is what the Lord requires from us: to take his Gospel home and make the Lord our head. The Word gradually transforms every individual heart, mind, and will that does this, to resonate with the heart, mind, and will of the Lord. All who desire to live in the presence of the Lord through meditation and contemplation of his Gospel are men and women of good will. These set their hearts, minds, and wills to make the pilgrimage to Mount Zion. God transformed them into citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Thus, Saint Paul writes: “You are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone.” When we make the Gospel of our Lord the source of every thought, word, and action, we become filled with his Holy Spirit and own his vision and mission. God aligns and builds us up on Christ, both as individuals and as families. “As every structure is aligned on him, and all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.” This is a quiet work God carries on in each of us.

We can never fully comprehend the importance of possessing a will properly aligned with the divine will, the power and operations of such a will. When our wills align with the divine will, we flow with creation, heaven and earth, wonderfully. The Psalmist testifies to a divine rhythm that flows from such wills in harmony with God and creation. “The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands. Day unto day takes up the story and night unto night makes known the message.” This describes the divine power and authority of good will among men. The words they send forth are not mere sounds, but deep divine meanings. Thus, the proclamation of the Gospel brings the universe to pulsate with divine will and harmony through men of good will, who preach the Gospel. In the Gospel, our Lord taught us the importance of working in harmony with the Father’s will. He prayed through the night to harmonise his human will with the Father’s will, choosing his apostles. “Jesus went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came, he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; he called them ‘apostles.’ Saints Simon and Jude were among those he picked. Their focus on him transformed them into great pillars of the Church and princes of the kingdom of heaven.

Let us pray: O God, who by the blessed Apostles have brought us to acknowledge your name, graciously grant, through the intercession of Saints Simon and Jude, that the Church may constantly grow by increase of the peoples who believe in you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.