St. Jude: Patron of Impossible Causes

Today is the feast of the apostles Sts. Simon and Jude, who were among the twelve best friends of Jesus during His earthly ministry, and thus peculiarly suited as examples and intercessors for us in taking up our cross and following Christ. St. Simon the Zealot, called so because of his enthusiasm (some traditions say he was also a member of the Zealot party of Jews), evangelized in Egypt and Mesopotamia after Jesus’s ascension and was martyred.

I am going to focus more specifically on St. Jude Thaddeus, who is considered the Patron of Impossible Causes. Goodness knows there seem to be many “impossible” situations in our modern world which need heavenly intervention.

St. Jude or Judas Thaddeus was the son of Cleophas (see Luke 24, the Road to Emmaus) and the second Mary who stood at the foot of Jesus’s cross (John 19:25, “Mary of Cleophas”), and was thus a cousin of Jesus’s. Tradition says Jude even looked like his cousin Jesus. After Jesus’s Ascension, Jude wrote the Epistle of Jude included in the New Testament and preached the Gospel in Syria, Persia, and Mesopotamia with Simon. Jude was a healer, and also an exorcist, particularly of idols, from which he would drive the demons fooling pagan worshippers. Martyred by being clubbed and beheaded.