Feast of Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/102811.cfm

Happy Birthday, Uncle Ken

You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.

Somewhere in grade school most of us figure out some of us are insiders and others are outsiders. At that time most of us wanted desperately to be insiders and would do anything to get there and stay there. The fight might be physical, psychological or emotional. It might involve good looks, the right clothing, the better school and being “cool.” It was a cutthroat business of cozying up to the right persons and despising others, even those who were formerly our friends.

Only with maturity do some of us outgrow that painful stage of our lives when we forget to care how others regard us. (As one old fellow told me, “I used to worry about what people thought about me; then I decided I don’t care what people think about me. Now I realize people don’t think about me at all.)

In his Letter to the Ephesians Saint Paul assures his disciples,

You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God.

You belong! You have a place. I remember my place at the dinner table when I was a boy. No matter what the kids at school thought about me and regardless how they treated me; I had a place at the table.

This is our Blessed Assurance. Celebrating this feast of the Apostles Simon and Jude we thank God that He has brought us into the fellowship of the saints. We are ready to pay any price to remain here, even if it means taking up the cross and following in his steps.