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St. Jude is celebrated as the patron of hopeless cases, and in things almost despaired of. He is usually pictured
with a book or pen because of his epistle in the New Testament. The club indicates his martyr's death and the flame above
his head the inspiration and assistance of the Holy Spirit.
Many people have their desperate pleas answered by faithful devotion to St. Jude.
St. Jude Thaddeus shows his special help and protection in difficult and desperate circumstances. Thus he has become
universally known as the "patron of hopeless and desperate cases."
St. Jude has obtained recovery for those stricken with maladies that defied human skill and remedies. He has obtained
grace to overcome deeply-rooted evil habits - which can be the cause of tremendous suffering, as much as any physical illness.
Because of his own love for purity, and his zealous care in preserving it, he has come to be regarded as a special protector
of this virtue.
The holy apostle obtains help in anguish, distress, calumny, poverty, misery, yes, even in despair and in circumstances
where aid seems utterly impossible. In return, we give him our confidence, love and gratitude. If our requests are not immediately
granted precisely according to our own ideas and wishes, surely they will be, sooner or later, according to the designs of
God.
A shining example of veneration of this holy apostle was given by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who during his whole life
highly honored a relic of St. Jude. When dying, St. Bernard asked that the relic be placed upon his breast and buried with
him, that he might not be entirely without him whom in life he had found to be a powerful protector of his purity and a potent
helper in every circumstance.
All who are in trouble should be filled with confidence in the intercession of St. Jude, for the saving virtue of our
prayers proceeds from confidence, the saints tell us. St. Jude is the helper, the consoler of all oppressed with heavy trials.
To Ask St. Jude's Intercession
One way of obtaining the intercession of St. Jude is to have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered in his honor. A triduum
or novena of Masses (that is, a Mass on three or on nine consecutive days) may also be offered. Or one may participate at
Holy Mass for such a number of days in his honor.
A favorite way of invoking St. Jude is through novenas (prayers said for nine days in succession. Other effective means
of obtaining his help are to make an offering to some charitable cause or perform some other good work in his honor.
A novena to St. Jude has never been known to fail for those who maintain a strong posture of faith that God is ALWAYS
working behind the scenes for us. For some people, by the end of the 9 days, they will see some visible, concrete proof that
their request has been granted. For others, they may receive something that is not what they asked for, but turns out to be
what they REALLY needed at this point in their lives. And for others, they may experience a newly-found feeling of hope and
peace of spirit, that brings with it the sense that they ARE NOT GOING THROUGH THEIR DIFFICULTY ALONE. The beautiful power
of the St. Jude novena is that people can have their requests answered in ways or times they may not have expected. The important
thing is to believe that you WILL experience a change, and don't despair if you do not receive an instant answer. Often the
path to finding true healing of mind, body, or spirit is a process that will only be fully visible and appreciated after an
extended period of time. Praying to St. Jude is the first step in that process.
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