Saint Athanasius
Coptic Orthodox Church
The apostle Saint Jude (Judas), also called Thaddeus or Lebbeus, "the brother of James," is the brother of Saint James the Less. It was Saint Jude who, after the Last Supper when Christ promised to manifest Himself to his hearers, asked Him why He did not manifest Himself to the rest of the world. The Lord answered that He and the Father will visit all those who love Him, "We will come to him, and will make our abode with him" (John 14:22-23).
Saint Jude wrote one of the canonical epistles that bears his name. In it he addresses no particular church or person, but urges the faithful to, "Contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. For certain men are secretly entered in...ungodly men, turning the grace of our lord God into righteousness, and denying the only sovereign ruler and our Lord Jesus Christ."
Saint Jude has often been confused with Saint Thaddeus of Mesopotamia who healed King Abgar, but as has been said above he was martyred with Saint Simon in Persia. Eusebius quoted a story that two grandsons of Saint Jude, Zoker and James, were brought before the Emperor Domitian, who was alarmed by the report that they were from the royal house of David. But when he saw that they were poor, hard-working peasants, and heard that the kingdom of which they looked was not of this world, he dismissed them with contempt.
May the prayer of Saint Jude the Apostle be with us all. Amen.
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