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The apostle St. Jude is distinguished from Iscariot by the surname Thaddeus. Thaddeus means praising or confessing in Syriac. He is referred to as Lebbaeus which means man with heart or courage. This name indicates a man with understanding in Hebrew but comes from the word Leb which also means heart and can also signify Lionhttps://catholicstand.com/more-than-you-may-want-to-know-about-st-jude/#_edn1.
St. Jude was the brother of St. James the Less. Catholic belief is that Jude, the brother of Jesus and the author of the Epistle of Jude are the same person. According to the surviving fragments of the work by Apostolic Father Papias of Hierapolis, Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord, Thaddeus is identified as the son of Mary the wife of Cleophas, who was the mother of James the bishop and apostle, of Simeon, Joseph and Thaddeus. Hence by referring to Jude as the “brother” of Jesus, Jude is a maternal cousin of the Lord as is James who was the martyred bishop of Jerusalem[ii].
More praiseworthy than St. Jude’s blood relation to Our Lord was his contempt for the world, and his zeal, love and suffering for the sake of the Gospel. Nothing is said about St. Jude in the Gospels before his name is listed with that of the other apostles. After spending much time in prayer, Jesus decided to choose 12 men, 12 unlikely candidates, who would be his apostles and proclaim the Kingdom of God to all people. Simon the Zealot was one of those twelve who were called. The Zealots were a Jewish group who believed that the Messiah would herald a free and independent Jewish nation. At that time Judea was occupied by Rome and had to pay tribute to Cesar. Some Zealots also were concerned that the spiritual ideals of Judaism be observed. Others in the group acted more like modern-day terrorists, raiding, killing, and inciting riots. Simon was referred to as “the zealot” to distinguish him from Simon Peter as well.
At the same time St. Jude was called, he was most likely a fisherman by trade. Along with 10 other men, Jude and Simon, followed Jesus, lived with him, fled when he underwent his Passion, and rejoiced when he rose from the dead. At the last supper, Our Lord promised to manifest Himself to everyone that would love Him. St. Jude asked if the Lord meant manifesting to the apostles or the world. This indicates the expectation of a secular kingdom. The response given by the Lord indicates a more personal and spiritual kingdom of love beginning within the interior life of those that love God (Jn 14:22-24).
After the Lord’s ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit, St. Jude and the other apostles went forth armed with the Holy Spirit and the name of Jesus to preach the Good News. They also healed the sick, gave sight to the blind and overcame the powers of darkness with the light of truth. One tradition is that Thaddeus was sent to Edessa to aid King Agbar who was suffering from leprosy. According to the legend, King Agbar was cured of leprosy upon seeing the image of the Lord’s face that St. Jude brought with him. Allegedly Agbar hoped to have the Lord himself come to heal him. St. Jude was sent instead due to the demands of the Lord’s ministry and His focus on the children of Israel.
Continued below.
catholicstand.com
St. Jude was the brother of St. James the Less. Catholic belief is that Jude, the brother of Jesus and the author of the Epistle of Jude are the same person. According to the surviving fragments of the work by Apostolic Father Papias of Hierapolis, Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord, Thaddeus is identified as the son of Mary the wife of Cleophas, who was the mother of James the bishop and apostle, of Simeon, Joseph and Thaddeus. Hence by referring to Jude as the “brother” of Jesus, Jude is a maternal cousin of the Lord as is James who was the martyred bishop of Jerusalem[ii].
More praiseworthy than St. Jude’s blood relation to Our Lord was his contempt for the world, and his zeal, love and suffering for the sake of the Gospel. Nothing is said about St. Jude in the Gospels before his name is listed with that of the other apostles. After spending much time in prayer, Jesus decided to choose 12 men, 12 unlikely candidates, who would be his apostles and proclaim the Kingdom of God to all people. Simon the Zealot was one of those twelve who were called. The Zealots were a Jewish group who believed that the Messiah would herald a free and independent Jewish nation. At that time Judea was occupied by Rome and had to pay tribute to Cesar. Some Zealots also were concerned that the spiritual ideals of Judaism be observed. Others in the group acted more like modern-day terrorists, raiding, killing, and inciting riots. Simon was referred to as “the zealot” to distinguish him from Simon Peter as well.
At the same time St. Jude was called, he was most likely a fisherman by trade. Along with 10 other men, Jude and Simon, followed Jesus, lived with him, fled when he underwent his Passion, and rejoiced when he rose from the dead. At the last supper, Our Lord promised to manifest Himself to everyone that would love Him. St. Jude asked if the Lord meant manifesting to the apostles or the world. This indicates the expectation of a secular kingdom. The response given by the Lord indicates a more personal and spiritual kingdom of love beginning within the interior life of those that love God (Jn 14:22-24).
After the Lord’s ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit, St. Jude and the other apostles went forth armed with the Holy Spirit and the name of Jesus to preach the Good News. They also healed the sick, gave sight to the blind and overcame the powers of darkness with the light of truth. One tradition is that Thaddeus was sent to Edessa to aid King Agbar who was suffering from leprosy. According to the legend, King Agbar was cured of leprosy upon seeing the image of the Lord’s face that St. Jude brought with him. Allegedly Agbar hoped to have the Lord himself come to heal him. St. Jude was sent instead due to the demands of the Lord’s ministry and His focus on the children of Israel.
Continued below.
More Than You May Want to Know About St. Jude - Catholic Stand
More praiseworthy than St. Jude’s blood relation to Our Lord was his contempt for the world, and his zeal, love and suffering for the sake of the Gospel.
catholicstand.com
