Collect (Opening Prayer) for today:
O God,
we thank you for the glorious company of the apostles,
and especially on this day for Simon and Jude;
and we pray that, as they were faithful and zealous in their mission,
so we may with ardent devotion
make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer (TEC USA)
Almighty God,
who built your Church upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets,
with Jesus Christ himself as the chief cornerstone:
so join us together in unity of spirit by their doctrine,
that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Common Worship (CofE)
Father,
you revealed yourself to us through the preaching of your apostles Simon and Jude.
By their prayers, give your Church continued growth
and increase the number of those who believe in you.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Roman Catholic
It is unclear if Jude the apostle is the same as Jude, brother of Jesus, (Mark 6:3, Matthew 13:55-57) or whether he is the author of the Epistle of Jude. Verse 17 of that letter has a reference to “the apostles” implying the writer does not include himself. Furthermore, comparing Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18 leads to identifying Jude with Thaddeus. Jude is clearly not Judas Iscariot. “Jude of James” is found in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13. “Judas not Iscariot” (John 14:22) appears to also refer to the apostle Jude. The epistle, because of its encouragement in difficult times, has led to Jude being the patron saint of hope for hopeless cases.
Simon appears in all New Testament lists of the apostles (where he is called Simon the Zealot or the “Cananean”). Tradition has Simon and Jude in Persia and Armenia with both martyred (see the Golden Legend).
