Who is St. Jude Thaddeus?
The Gospel tells us that St. Jude was a brother of St. James the Less, also one of the twelve. They are described by St. Matthew (13:55) as the “brethren” of Jesus, probably cousins. The Hebrew word for “brethren” indicates a blood relationship. His mother, Mary, was a cousin of the Blessed Mother. The Jewish people, proud of their lineage, kept exact records of their ancestors, and we see that St. Jude’s father, Cleophas, was the brother of St. Joseph. St. Jude’s mother, Mary of Cleophas, was a cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary: their mothers were sisters. St. Jude was a tireless worker–he tried–he dared to try the impossible; and he was successful. Steadfastly pure in body and soul, Jude gave of himself not only in life but in death as well. Jude is invoked in desperate situations because his New Testament letter stresses that the faithful should persevere in the environment of harsh, difficult circumstances, just as their forefathers had done before them.
