You have seen the pictures of St. Jude. He is usually dressed in green. I have seen his image on key chains and on many candles. You may have seen his prayer card in church with his image on the front and the St. Jude Prayer on the back.
When I traveled to Mexico City and the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, I saw Mexican people carrying huge statues of St. Jude from the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe to their homes. The Mexican people, in fact, seem to be particularly devout to St. Jude. Maybe he has helped some of them who traveled from Mexico to America to make the trip safely.
St. Jude was a cousin of Jesus. He is known as Jude Thaddeus. We don’t know that much about St. Jude. We know that he was one of the chosen twelve.
It is also thought that he continued to preach the Gospel in the Middle East after Pentecost. There he was martyred. Later on, his remains were moved beneath St. Peter’s in Rome. St. Jude’s feast day is October 28.
St. Jude is known as the patron saint of impossible causes or of causes that have been despaired of. Our Lord appeared to both St. Bridget and St. Bernard and asked that Jude would be known as “the saint of the impossible.”
He is often shown with a flame above his head, symbolizing his presence at Pentecost. In many images, he is shown with the image of Edessa. This was a cloth of Jesus that contained the face of Christ.
According to the story, King Abgar of Edessa sent a letter to Our Lord asking for a cure. Apparently, Jesus turned down the invitation but said he would send Jude to Abgar. Jude came to Abgar and Abgar was healed. The image of Edessa is written of later in history, apparently painted by a famous painter.
Any search for miracles of St. Jude will reveal all types of miracles. There are healings, pregnancies when no pregnancy was in sight, financial miracles and other types of miracles.
In my own life, I remember at one point praying for intercession for some financial help while doing a St. Jude Novena. I was set to take a flight to California and was offered the chance to take a later flight, earning me about $200. St. Jude answers prayers!
Another friend prayed a St. Jude novena for intercession while discerning God’s will concerning a specific gentleman she was dating. During the course of the novena, something about the gentleman was revealed, and the couple quickly broke up.
I also have another friend who had her prayers answered after she landed an amazing new job after a novena to St. Jude.
Try it! Pray the St. Jude novena for whatever you need. Bring your intentions to him so that he may intercede for you to Jesus. St. Jude is a friend indeed. The St. Jude Prayer is at the bottom of this blog post. He is the saint for impossible causes!
What are the lessons St. Jude can teach singles?
Have faith in Jesus Christ
St. Jude also wrote one of the books of the Bible. It is an extremely short book but it emphasizes faith and mercy and belief in Jesus Christ. Jude again would have heard Christ talking about the need for faith and he would have heard Jesus asking the apostles where their faith was and how long He had to be with that faithless generation.
Read one of the gospels all the way through and become familiar with Jesus again. Pick the Gospel of John or Luke. Get to know Jesus again. See how much He talks about faith, faith also as a necessary component for receiving miracles. Ask Jesus to increase your faith. Ask Jesus for the impossible—to move a mountain, to receive a spouse, for a healing; for a financial miracle. Ask in faith and you shall receive.
Read the book of St. Jude also. Jude would have seen Jesus daily and walked with Him. In his epistle, he writes about building up your faith and he also writes about being merciful to those who do not have such a strong faith. Our faith in Christ can always grow. If we make this our prayer request.
“Be merciful to those who doubt.” (Jude 1:22)
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” (Jude 1:20-21)
Stay close to Jesus
Jude was one of the twelve who would have followed Christ wherever he went. He would have seen Jesus walking on water, calming the storm, raising the dead, healing the sick. Not only was he a friend of Jesus, he was a cousin of Jesus, so he must have known Christ growing up as well, although this has not been revealed to us. Jude would have been close to Jesus throughout his whole life.
As singles, it is tempting to stay close to Jesus only when our life is going well-when we have a good job, when we have a nice home or apartment, when we are healthy, when we have lots of money, when we have nice clothes, when we can take nice trips, when we have lots of friends, when we have a girlfriend or boyfriend, when we have a spouse on the horizon. But when we don’t have those things, we can lose hope so quickly and feel as if God is vacant and that our prayers are not answered.
But the mystery of the cross is central to our Catholic faith. Can we stay close to Jesus in prayer when we don’t have a good job, when we are unemployed or underemployed, when we have financial losses, when we may be sick, when we have to move home with our parents to make ends meet and don’t have our own apartment or house, when we another birthday comes and there is not a spouse or boyfriend or girlfriend in sight for miles? Can we stay close to Jesus then?
Jesus is often actually closest to singles during those times, times when we feel sorrowful or when obstacles seem insurmountable. We must keep our hope. It is then that He is actually closest to us, closest to singles. He has a special love for singles. We must remember that. And He will never leave us. Jesus will use these times, these dark times to build our character. And Jesus will lead us through those dark times. Remember, Easter Sunday always follows Good Friday.
Be willing to go where God sends you
Jesus sent Jude to the Middle East-to Armenia and Syria where he died as a martyr for the faith. Are you willing to go where Jesus might want to send you? Are you asking Jesus about his plan for your life-praying daily each day for 30 minutes or more? Singles need to spend time in prayer, seeking God’s guidance for our lives.
St. Jude can help us to live a life pleasing to God and he wants to be an intercessor and a friend to us in many ways. Let’s turn to him with our needs.
St. Jude Prayer
Glorious apostle, St. Jude Thaddeus
I salute you through the
Sacred Heart of Jesus. Through His
Heart I praise and thank God for all the
graces, He has bestowed upon you. I
implore you, through His love to look upon
me with compassion. Do not despise my
poor prayer. Do not let my trust be
confounded! God has granted you the
privilege of aiding mankind in the most
desperate cases. Oh, come to my aid that I
may praise the mercies of God! All my
life I will be your grateful client until I
can thank you in heaven. Amen.
St. Jude, pray for us.
And for all who invoke your aid.
St. Jude, pray for us singles!
St. Jude Novena
Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficult cases, of things almost despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.
Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly –(make your request here) – and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.
Amen
PRAYER
May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the tabernacles until the end of time. Amen.
May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen
St. Jude pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen.
Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity.
(say this prayer, followed by the Our Father and the Hail Mary)
