Sene 25 — July 02

Saint Jude, the Brave Apostle

Today we remember Saint Jude. Some people call him Judah. He was one of the seventy-two disciples, the helpers Jesus sent out to teach people about God. His father was Joseph the carpenter, the same Joseph who took care of Jesus when Jesus was a little boy.

Jude loved to travel and tell people the good news about Jesus. He went to many cities. He even sailed to a faraway island and built a church there, so people would have a place to pray.

One day Jude visited a king named Abgar, who lived in a city called Edessa. The king was very sick. Jude prayed for him, and the king got well again. Then the king was baptized: washed with holy water to become a friend of Jesus. Jude helped so many people learn about God's love.

Jude also wrote a letter to help people stay close to God, and that letter is still in the Bible today. We can read it! It is full of kind and wise words. Some people who did not yet know God read his letter and chose to follow Jesus too.

Later, some people did not want Jude to keep teaching, and they hurt him. He stayed faithful to God right to the end, and he died loving God with all his heart. Jude was not afraid, because he knew he was going home to God.

His letter is full of wisdom and grace, and many people came to love Jesus because of it.

Abba Peter, the Loving Church Father

Abba Peter was a kind and faithful church leader. He became the archbishop of the great city of Alexandria, the leader who watched over all the churches and people there.

For a long time the city had no archbishop, and the people were sad. So they gathered together and chose Abba Peter, who was a priest. They went out to a quiet place called Zegag and made him their archbishop, and everyone was full of joy.

Abba Peter worked very hard for God, just as the apostles did. He traveled to the churches and the villages, teaching the people, cheering them up, and helping them stay strong in their faith. He had a helper named Damianus, a holy and clever friend who later became archbishop too.

Far away in another city called Antioch lived a second good church father named Theophanius. Abba Peter and Theophanius were dear friends, even though they lived far apart. They wrote letters to each other, and each one prayed for the other. They shared the same true faith and helped each other be brave.

Abba Peter never stopped writing kind letters to encourage God's people everywhere. After many years of caring for his flock like a good shepherd, he died in peace, safe in God's arms.

He traveled about like the apostles and shepherded his flock, strong and faithful to the very end.

Pilate, Who Was Remembered

Today the Church also remembers a man named Pilate. Long ago, on the day Jesus was hurt by bad people, Pilate did not want to be part of it. He washed his hands to show that he did not want to harm Jesus. The Church remembers him on this day and asks us to think kindly and to pray.

The Happy Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul

On this day the Church also keeps a happy feast for two of Jesus' greatest helpers: Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Peter was one of Jesus' closest friends. Paul traveled far and wide, telling everyone about God's love. The wise teachers of the Church chose this day for their feast.

There is another happy reason too. This is the time when the winter rainy season begins. Long ago, people would ask God to bless the rains that water the fields and help the food grow. So today we thank God for Peter, for Paul, and for the gentle rains He sends to take care of us.