The Message of St. Jude: His Letter and His Question
Saint Jude left us very few words of his own: one question in the Gospels and one short letter. But there is a great deal of hope packed into them.
A question at the Last Supper
On the night before He died, Jesus was speaking with His apostles about the love of the Father, and Jude spoke up:
"Lord, how is it, that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not to the world?" (John 14:22)
And Jesus answered him:
"If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our abode with him." (John 14:23)
I love that it was Jude who asked. His honest question drew out one of the most intimate promises our Lord ever made. God does not stay at a distance. He comes to make His home with the one who loves Him. When you pray in the dark, you are not calling out into an empty sky. You are speaking to Someone who has promised to live with you.
His letter, in plain words
The Letter of Jude is only twenty-five verses long, tucked just before the Book of Revelation. Jude wrote it to Christians who were being led astray by false teachers, and he is not shy about it.
He opens by greeting those who are "beloved in God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ," and wishes them "mercy unto you, and peace, and charity be fulfilled." He tells them he had hoped to write about the salvation they share, but felt he had to urge them instead to fight for the faith. He reminds them that God has always been faithful, and that those who lead others astray will not have the last word. Then he turns tender: build yourselves up in your most holy faith, pray in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, and have mercy on those who waver. And he closes with a hymn of praise to the God who is able to keep us.
Three truths from his letter
Hold on to the faith
"Contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). Jude never promises an easy road. He asks us to hang on, especially when everything around us is shaking. For someone praying the novena, simply coming back to prayer day after day is exactly this kind of holding on.
Stay in God's love, and be merciful
"Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto life everlasting" (Jude 21). Right after this, Jude asks the faithful to show compassion to those who doubt (Jude 22). I think this is the heart of his letter: stay close to God's love, and be gentle with people who are struggling, including yourself.
God is able to keep you
Jude ends with praise "to him who is able to preserve you without sin, and to present you spotless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24). Many Bibles render it, "able to keep you from falling." Here is where hope for the hopeless really comes from. It does not rest on how strong we are. It rests on God, who holds us.
What this has to do with the novena
In the novena we ask Saint Jude to intercede for "visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of." His own words tell us why we can ask with confidence: God makes His home with those who love Him, His love surrounds us, and He is able to keep us from falling.
A few questions
Did Saint Jude write the Letter of Jude?
The letter introduces its author as "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James" (Jude 1). Catholic tradition has long connected it with Saint Jude Thaddeus, though scholars still discuss whether the writer is the apostle or another Jude among the relatives of the Lord.
Where do I find it in the Bible?
It is the second to last book of the New Testament, just before Revelation. It takes about five minutes to read, and it is worth it.
Which translation is quoted here?
The Douay-Rheims, the classic English Catholic Bible.