In the southern side of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome is an altar dedicated in 1963 by Pope John XXIII to Saint Joseph, the Virgin Mary’s husband. The mosaic over the altar shows the traditional image of the saint holding Jesus and a white lily. Proclaimed patron of the universal church in 1870 by Pope Pius IX, the dedication of this altar almost a century later ensured a central presence of Saint Joseph in the Basilica.
Prior to 1963 the altar was known as the altar of Saints Simon and Jude, two of the twelve apostles. Their relics are kept beneath the altar in a small ancient sarcophagus. On October 28th 2008 I decided to attend Mass at this altar where they are buried to commemorate their feast day. I arrived to the Basilica at 7am sharp and stood by the sacristy door waiting for any group that may have Mass at that altar. After just a few minutes I realized that a large pilgrimage group from the United States was preparing to have Mass there, so I took a seat and waited for the priest robed in red to approach the altar.
The Mass began and I was surprised when in his opening remarks the priest made no mention of the two apostles buried underneath. “Surely he will mention them at his homily,” I thought. During the homily, the priest said nothing about the significance of this altar on this particular feast day. He did not even mention Saints Simon and Jude. “Surely he will mention them before the final blessing,” I thought, but I was disappointed again. Though I knew the significance of the place, I thought of the poor pilgrims who would never know what a great blessing and privilege they had received by attending Mass at the tomb of the apostles on their feast day. This bothered me for the rest of the day until I went into the chapel of the seminary to pray before going to bed.
The fact that these pilgrims never knew they were in the presence of the relics of Saints Simon and Jude on their feast day did not diminish the fact that they were there, and that God acted in a powerful way in their lives because of it. In the same way a baby has no idea what is happening when he or she is baptized but God still acts powerfully in the baby’s soul, so these pilgrims did not know the blessing they received, yet them not knowing did not prevent God from acting in their souls. So often we are like these pilgrims, sitting in the midst of something amazing that God is doing and we fail to recognize it. God acts as a loving Father even though we often remain unaware of his action, or fail to express our gratitude. God never ceases to call us to Himself, especially those most distant from Him, and despite our indifference, He never fails to provide. I learned a great lesson on the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude: God is always at work, whether I am aware of it or not, so I must remain grateful for His many amazing works.
Picture taken from the Public Domain
Pictures are not mine, used with permission and permission is noted. Picture of Saint Jude above credit here.
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