One of the most asked questions is: “Why did you name the shop Tiendita San Juditas (Little St. Jude Store)? The answer is very straightforward. As you’ve read before, growing up with my Grandmother gave me a deep understanding and a profound connection to Catholicism devotion and tradition. So, it has been natural to me that every time my family or myself have needed the intercession during our most desperate and impossible times, St. Jude has been our go-to-pray Saint. My family and I have come to attribute the grace and favors received from God to St. Jude’s intercessions.
In my home country, Guatemala, St. Jude is venerated with just as much reverence as Our Lady of Guadalupe. And other parts of the world also celebrate the life of St. Jude. But what makes St. Jude universally known as the patron saint of the needy above other saints? Who was St. Jude?
THE STORY
So, let’s take a closer look at who St. Jude really was and what he represents to the entire Catholic-Roman, Orthodox, and Anglican churches. First and foremost, There is a little historical and background information on St. Jude. Not a whole lot is said in the Bible about St. Jude. In fact, Matthew and Mark only name him Thaddeus or Lebbaeus, whereas in Luke and the Acts of the Apostles we read his name as Jude Son of James. John’s Gospel calls him “Judas (not the Iscariot) In Arameic, Jude means “praises be given to God” and Thaddeus means “courageous” to proclaim faith and “lively.”
St. Jude is a direct descendant from the House of David and is, therefore, related by blood to Jesus Christ. In fact, St. Jude’s father’s name was Cleopas, who was a brother of St. Joseph, Husband to Virgin mary. St. Jude’s mother was called Mary of Cleopas, who was cousins with Virgin Mary and this is what scholars consider a direct link to Jesus’s human family, aside from being an apostle.
Throughout this Apostleship to Jesus, St. Jude only speaks once at the Last Supper. Jesus said, “In a little while the world will not see Me, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live.” Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” (Jn. 14:19-21). This one question from St. Jude sums up his entire life of preaching until his death in 65 A.D. Because Jude knew and loved Jesus, because he obeyed His Master’s teaching. In fact, Jude Thaddeus is recognized as a relative of Jesus.
Although there is only one letter, the Epistle of Jude in the New Testament, St. Jude exhorts us to fight for the faith and to keep the faith alive. He says, “But you, my dear friends, must use your most holy faith as your foundation and build on that, praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves within the love of God and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you eternal life. When there are some who have doubts, reassure them; when there are some to be saved from the fire, pull them out” (Jude 1).
His faith in God through the teachings of Jesus Christ is what makes St. Jude the patron saint of desperate cases. Like all apostles, Jude was persecuted and decapitated on October 28 alongside Simon the Zealot from Canaan. But before his martyrdom, St. Jude’s apostolic mission sent him evangelizing Judea, Mesopotamia, and Persia. He established multiple communities of faith throughout and he continued healing the sick. St. Jude never backed down from his faith, awaiting in the mercy of God through his sufferings and he continued healing and converting people which led him to his martyrdom.
THE SYMBOLS:
The image of Edessa, the medallion-like image on his chest, is testimony of his power to heal in the name of Jesus Christ. The King of Edessa, an atheist, was very ill and St. Jude showed up to pray for him, showed the piece of cloth he was carrying on his chest and the image of Jesus appeared glowing in Gold. St. Jude is also seen in images with a flame of fire atop his head. This is because of his participation in Pentecost when in the book of Acts of the Apostles, we’re told that the Holy Spirit descended and tongues of fire set on everyone present and they began speaking in tongues (Acts 2:1-12).
His staff represents the many travels to Armenia (where it is believed he was decapitated). Sometimes he will be also portrayed with a carpenter’s square ruler to depict his relationship to Jesus of Nazarene, the Son of the Carpenter. Other times, he will be seen holding a scroll and an ax symbolizing his faith and devotion to spread the Gospel, the teachings of Christ, and his imminent death. Although he didn’t write many letters, St. Jude is, perhaps, the most fervent defender of the faith even greater than Paul.
THE DEVOTION:
St. Jude is venerated throughout the world as the Saint that can help with all ailments and needs such as: find employment, buy a home, resolve crisis, financial stability, help incarcerated people, and bring healing to physical illnesses. However, most of his devoted followers are in Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, Chile and many other Latin American countries. In Mexico, the Temple of St. Hipolito changed names to reflect now St. Jude Thaddeus where thousands of people visit every October 28th for public processions and displays of faith.
Perhaps the boldest and most significant devotions to St. Jude is in the United States. History tells us that Danny Thomas attended Mass in Detroit, Michigan. He was a struggling comedian and needed help to financially sustain his family as a new father. He prayed for St. Jude’s intercession to help him, promising to build a shrine to honor St. Jude. A week after his prayer, Danny was already making 10 times more money than he was before. In 1957, he began getting grants to open a hospital with an understanding that “no child should die in the dawn of life” -his most famous motto. As of today, St. Jude Children’s Hospital is the number one children’s cancer hospital in the U.S. according to News & World Report. It all began with a simple prayer in a desperate moment of financial need and despair.
What makes St. Jude a powerful saint to intercede promptly? Maybe it is because of his direct relationship to Jesus or the fact that he was the most vociferous defender of the faith. In his one letter found in the bible, the Epistle of St. Jude has a beautiful prayer that he himself wrote and which should be used daily in our morning and night prayers as we continue to prevail in faith:
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy -to the only God our Savior be Glory, majesty, dominion, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all time, and now, and for all eternity. AMEN.” (Jude 1:24-25).
So, not only did we adjudicate his name to our store because he is the Patron Saint of Desperate Cases, but because it is a place where people can continue nourishing THEIR faith and pass this faith to the generations to follow. Our intent with naming the store St. Jude is to keep him as the Patron Saint that promotes the faith, pushes us to continue to see Christ through our every struggle, and to keep our eyes on the price of God’s merciful love and forgiving grace.
<3lessings,
TSJ
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