Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Lectionary: 666

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.

Because his ministry of preaching missions to parishes required constant absence from home, I once greeted a friar with, "Hello, Stranger!" To my surprise, he was very upset. I hadn't meant any harm and, as a confirmed homebody, I respected the challenges of his peripatetic way of life. But I guess no one wants to be a stranger.

Saint Paul was also continually on the road. He never mentions his family in his letters although he must have had some. He was also a sojourner, although adept in making himself at home in the Jewish quarters of every major city. He might stay in a single place for a few years, but he would never be family to those whose families had been anchored in a particular town for centuries. 

But he lived by faith and he spoke with that confidence when he insisted, 

"You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones." 

He found his home among believers, even as became more estranged to Judaism. His disappointment with his own people was consoled by the enthusiasm of gentiles who opened their homes to him. 

Martha, Mary,  and Lazarus showed the same enthusiastic hospitality to Jesus. He and Martha were so comfortable they could quarrel without fear of unfriending one another. 

Our life and our kinship is "built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets." When I am called to preside over a funeral in a Catholic Church, I remind the congregation that the Church's funeral is not just a memorial service. A federal, state, or local government might conduct a memorial service for a respected leader. The military has important ceremonies for their fallen heroes. Police and fire fighters are also known for their very public displays when a respected member dies. 

But the Church celebrates their gift to the Church and our hope for their resurrection. We never lose a member to death. They may seem to be gone to this world, but they belong -- and have belonged -- to the fellowship of the saints. They have taken their place in the cloud of witnesses who surround the Lord. 

"...with Christ Jesus as the capstone." 

On this feast of Simon and Jude, the least known of the Apostles, we celebrate their honored position among the saints. We remember their names as we hope the Lord will remember our names whenever he decides to open our graves and have us rise from them. On that day, when there will be no more wailing or grief, we will know that we were never strangers or sojourners; and that our place was always with him.