From James Kiefer at the Lectionary:
On the various New Testament lists of the Twelve Apostles (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13), the tenth and eleventh places are occupied by Simon the Zealot (also called Simon the "Cananean," the Aramaic word meaning "Zealot") and by Judas of James, also called Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. ("Judas" in New Testament contexts corresponds to "Judah" in Old Testament ones.
Beyond those references, we don't know much about Simon and Jude. There's speculation, of course, but few facts.
What I liked about Kiefer's post is his take on "invocation of the saints".
In the first place, the expression, "praying to Saint X" is misleading and unfortunate. In older English "pray" simply meant to request politely.
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That was a preliminary comment on terminology. Now to the question. Undoubtedly asking one's fellow Christians in heaven for their prayers is something that can be abused. It can readily degenerate into the notion that getting what you want from God is a matter of knowing what channels to go through, what strings to pull. One ends up thinking of heaven as a place like the seat of a corrupt government (whether Washington or Versailles), where favors are traded and deals are made by influence peddlers.
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Do I spend a significant fraction of my prayer time asking various Christians now in heaven for their prayers. No, just as I do not spend a lot of time asking my fellow Christians here on earth for their prayers. But I do ask for, and value, the prayers of my fellow Christians, living and dead; and I delight in the knowledge that when I praise God, my voice is part of a great chorus of praise in which angels, glorified and perfected saints, saints still on their pilgrimage, and even (in ways befitting their natures) beasts, plants, and inanimate objects join together. "Let all things praise the LORD." Amen.
I think that's quite good. Kiefer expresses my view of the purpose and use of the invocation of the saints.
READINGS:
Daily Office:
AM: Psalm 66; Isaiah 28:9-16; Ephesians 4:1-16
PM: Psalm 116, 117; Isaiah 4:2-6; John 14:15-31
PRAYER
O God, we thank you for the glorious company of the apostles,
and especially on this day for Simon and Jude; and we pray
that, as they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so we
may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
"But I do ask for, and value, the prayers of my fellow Christians, living and dead; and I delight in the knowledge that when I praise God, my voice is part of a great chorus of praise in which angels, glorified and perfected saints, saints still on their pilgrimage, and even (in ways befitting their natures) beasts, plants, and inanimate objects join together."
ReplyDeleteDear Grandmère,
One of the great joys of coming to the Episcopal Church was the whole concept of being in communion with the saints, the apostles and all the company of heaven--past, present and future. This was absolutely foreign to fundamentalist thought. In fact it was looked on with suspicion and thought of as superstitious nonsense. I find it to be beautiful and very comforting.
Boocat, I love the idea of the clouds of witnesses who join us when we pray. Why not invoke the prayer of a particular saint?
ReplyDeleteOf course, I came to the Episcopal Church from the opposite direction, the Roman Catholic Church, where prayers to the saints for miracles was not uncommon. That, to me, is not the proper use of "invocation of the saints".
It is one of my great joys, too, Boocat, coming from the "Free Church" tradition myself. It needn't be Fundamentalist" always, we weren't, but there certainly is less protection from such false and pernicious doctrines than when each is more conscious of the great cloud of witnesses, as in our present TEC: TBTG.
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