SS Simon & Jude

A reading from
ST JOHN HENRY NEWMAN 4
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The Apostles commemorated on this Festival direct our attention to the
subject of Zeal. St Simon is called Zealot, which means the Zealous; a title given
him (as is supposed) from his belonging before his conversion to the Jewish sect
of Zealots, which professed extraordinary Zeal for the Law… St Jude’s Epistle,
which forms part of the service of the day, is almost wholly upon the duty of
manifesting Zeal for Gospel Truth, and opens with a direct exhortation to
“contend earnestly for the Faith once delivered to the Saints.”

It will be a more simple account of Zeal, to call it the earnest desire for
God’s honor, leading to strenuous and bold deeds in His behalf; and that in spite
of all obstacles. Now Zeal is one of the elementary religious qualifications; that
is, one of those which are essential in the very notion of a religious man. A man
cannot be said to be in earnest in religion, till he magnifies his God and Savior;
till he so far consecrates and exalts the thought of Him in his heart, as an object
of praise, and adoration, and rejoicing, as to be pained and grieved at dishonor
shown to Him, and eager to avenge Him. In a word, a religious temper is one of
loyalty towards God; and we all know what is meant by being loyal from the
experience of civil matters.

To be loyal is not merely to obey; but to obey with promptitude, energetic
dutifulness, disinterested devotion, disregard of consequences. And such is
Zeal, except that it is ever attended with that reverential feeling which is due
from a creature and a sinner towards his Maker, and towards Him alone.

It is the main principle in all religious service to love God above all things;
now, Zeal is to love Him above all other people, above our dearest and most
intimate friends. This was the special praise of the Levites, which gained for
them the reward of the Priesthood, that is, their executing judgment on the
people in the sin of the golden calf. Zeal is the very consecration of God’s
Ministers to their office.

Accordingly our Blessed Savior, the One Great High Priest, the Antitype
of all Priests who went before Him and the Lord and Strength of all who come
after, began His manifestation of Himself by two acts of Zeal. When twelve years
old he deigned to put before us in representation the sacredness of this duty,
when He remained in the Temple “while His father and mother sought Him
sorrowing,” and on their finding Him, returned answer, “Do you not know that
I must be about My Father’s business?”

And again, at the opening of His public Ministry, He went into the
Temple, and “made a scourge of small cords, and drove out the sheep and
oxen, and overthrew the changers’ tables” that profaned it: thus fulfilling the
prophecy contained in the text, “Zeal for your house has eaten me up.” Being
thus consumed by Zeal Himself, no wonder He should choose His followers
from among the Zealous.

4 “Christian Zeal,” in Parochial and Plain Sermons, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1987, pp. 464 ff.