Homily for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

While all the Gospels recount the story of Jesus choosing His Apostles, only Luke mentions that Jesus spent the entire night in prayer to His Father before making His choice. This choice was a direct result of His prayer. Luke emphasizes that Jesus prayed during all the crucial moments of His life—right after His baptism, before He set out for Jerusalem, while in the Garden of Gethsemane as He approached His passion and death, and even on the Cross just moments before He died.

We, too, should turn to our Father in prayer during significant moments in our lives. It is essential to recognize our need for guidance, strength, and courage from God. However, our prayers do not guarantee that everything will work out perfectly for us. Although Jesus spent the whole night in prayer before selecting the Twelve, one of them ultimately betrayed Him. Nevertheless, we can be confident that our humble surrender to the Lord in such times will always create space for Him to act, even when outcomes do not align with our hopes.