Homily for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

All four Gospels tell the story of Jesus choosing His Apostles, but only Luke tells us that Jesus spent the entire night in prayer to His Father before making this critical decision. His choices were a direct result of His time in prayer. Luke highlights that Jesus prayed during significant moments in His life—right after His baptism, before He set out for Jerusalem, while in the Garden of Gethsemane as He faced His passion and death, and even on the Cross just moments before He died.

We, too, should turn to our Father in prayer during crucial moments in our lives. It's essential to recognize our need for God's guidance, strength, and courage. 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 during these times will always create space for Him to act, even when the outcomes do not align with our hopes.