Daily prayer
to St. Jude

O kindSaint-Jude, our faithful intercessor to Jesus, receive the following special intentions : to present them to the Almighty Lord, Root of all good. Above all, grant us an increase of our faith in His love. May each day find us closer in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. KindSaint-Jude, you who has revived hope in our hearts, you whose model merits and life bring us the divine blessings and graces, be our advocate, and lead us to Jesus and Mary. With you, blessed apostle, we give thanks and praise God with all our heart for His innumerable kindnesses. Amen.

The Monthly Note

April 2012

Easter : The feast of Life!

«And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight.» (Luke 24, 31)

by Benoît Lacroix, o.p.

He said it and promised it: «He who believes in me, even if he dies, will have eternal life.» Even if he dies? Yes, even if he dies.  Jesus said it again and promised: I am the Life, and the Truth. He who follows Me will have life in abundance.» More words.  St. Paul came to this conclusion: the Christian religion comes down to this: he who does not believe in resurrection is not with us anymore.

The same Jesus is our major reference when it comes to life. He, first, was born, lived and died.  We see Him again, but He has changed. Even Mary-Magdalene didn’t recognized Him.  The disciples of Emmaus spoke with Him and it was only during the evening, at communion, during supper, that they truly identified Him.

This is our essential belief: our body will re-live...but differently.  For the time being, let us not forget our desire for immortality that harasses us, need to last, need to see our deceased loved ones again.  No, we have not invented death, neither the desire to last, our desire of immortality.  We are modern, we are in style if we believe, along with thousands of others, that life is made to last, even after death.

It remains that we believers are privileged, we are like the spoiled children of humanity, we receive life as a gift, we do our possible to take care of it.  And when life leaves us, there is someone who promises us that if we have loved and did our best, He will take care to re-give our body an improved LIFE to continue loving, to love forever.

As for death, our sister corporeal death, as the great Saint Francis of Assisi called her, she is, of course, an ordeal but she is also a leg on the road to the eternal light...As Jesus said it to His closest friends: I am the Light...he who follows Me does not walk in darkness.  He who believes in Me will have eternal life.»

Thank you Lord for having lend us life, for having protected it, redeemed it, so that it may go on eternally after the ordeal of the body.  Without You, where would we go?  While with You, we walk, each in our own way, to the Light...

Long live Life!

Benoit Lacroix, o.p. (Dominican)

The staff of St Jude’s Apostolic Works wish you a Happy and blessed Easter.