St. Simon the Apostle - When You Need Holy Zeal, Courage & the Strength to Keep Following Jesus
Feast Day: October 28
Are you passionate about something?
Do you feel things deeply?
Do you become frustrated when things are not changing quickly enough?
Do you want to do something—fix the situation, defend what is right, change someone's mind, or make the answer happen?
Meet St. Simon the Apostle, also called Simon the Zealot.
We know surprisingly little about him.
And perhaps that itself is part of his lesson.
Simon was chosen by Jesus.
He followed Him.
He became one of the Twelve.
And he remained faithful without needing to become the most famous Apostle.
His life reminds us:
Jesus does not need to remove your zeal. He wants to sanctify it.
Who Was St. Simon?
St. Simon appears in the Gospel lists of the Twelve Apostles.
St. Luke calls him “Simon who is called Zelotes”—Simon the Zealot.
He should not be confused with Simon Peter, whom Jesus made the first Pope.
Exactly what Simon's title meant has been debated. It may describe his religious zeal, and it should not automatically be treated as proof that he belonged to the later political movement commonly called the Zealots.
What Scripture makes certain is far more important:
Jesus chose Simon.
Simon heard Christ.
Followed Christ.
Witnessed His ministry.
And belonged to the group of men Christ formed to carry the Gospel into the world.
Sometimes holiness begins with something that simple:
Jesus called. Simon followed.
What Are You Zealous About?
Zeal can be a tremendous gift.
But zeal needs direction.
Without charity, zeal can become anger.
Without patience, zeal can become frustration.
Without humility, zeal can become pride.
Without surrender, zeal can become control.
Without prayer, zeal can become constant activity with very little peace.
Ask yourself:
What am I passionate about right now?
Your family?
Your marriage?
Someone's conversion?
Your parish?
Defending the Faith?
A project?
A cause?
An intention you desperately want answered?
Now ask something deeper:
“Jesus, is my zeal serving Thee—or is it making me lose my peace?”
You Cannot Force Someone to Believe
Perhaps there is someone you desperately want to return to God.
You have explained.
Encouraged.
Sent articles.
Recommended books.
Invited them to Mass.
Answered questions.
And perhaps now you are tempted to keep pushing.
St. Simon can remind us:
Conversion belongs to grace.
We can witness.
We can teach the truth.
We can answer questions.
We can live the Faith visibly.
We can pray.
But we cannot force another soul to love Jesus.
Sometimes holy zeal means speaking.
Sometimes holy zeal means becoming quiet and praying:
“Jesus, I have said what I can. Now I place this soul in Thy hands.”
When You Want to Fix Everything
Some of us have a very strong instinct:
Do something.
There is a problem?
Fix it.
Something is delayed?
Push harder.
Someone is struggling?
Tell them what to do.
Something is uncertain?
Research it until you have an answer.
But not every problem is yours to solve.
Ask St. Simon to help you distinguish between:
holy action and anxious action.
Holy action says:
“God has given me something to do, so I will faithfully do it.”
Anxious action says:
“I cannot tolerate not knowing what happens next, so I need to do something—anything—to feel in control.”
Those can look very similar from the outside.
Prayer helps us tell the difference.
Give Jesus Your Strong Personality
Maybe you are naturally determined.
Persistent.
Opinionated.
Energetic.
Passionate.
That does not automatically need to disappear for you to become holy.
Give it to Jesus.
Pray:
“Lord, take everything strong within me and make it useful for Thy Kingdom.”
Turn stubbornness into perseverance.
Turn impatience into endurance.
Turn anger at evil into works of charity.
Turn the desire to control into disciplined action.
Turn strong opinions into a hunger for truth.
Turn intensity into prayer.
Turn passion into love for Jesus.
Grace does not have to erase your personality. It can sanctify it.
A Hidden Apostle
There is something beautiful about how little we know about Simon.
He was one of the Twelve Apostles—
and yet we do not have pages of Scripture devoted to his individual accomplishments.
That can encourage anyone doing work that feels unnoticed.
Maybe nobody sees how much you pray.
Nobody knows the sacrifices you make.
Nobody thanks you.
Nobody understands how much work happens behind the scenes.
You do not need to become famous to become holy.
You do not need everyone to notice what you are doing for God.
Jesus knows your name.
That was enough for Simon.
Let it be enough for us.
St. Simon & St. Jude
The Church traditionally celebrates St. Simon and St. Jude together on October 28.
Later Christian traditions associate the two Apostles with missionary work and martyrdom, although details about Simon's later travels and death vary among ancient traditions and cannot all be historically verified.
Still, the pairing gives us a beautiful devotional thought.
St. Jude reminds us:
Do not lose hope when something seems impossible.
St. Simon reminds us:
Do not lose your zeal while you wait.
Together:
Hope—and remain faithful.
When Should You Ask St. Simon to Pray for You?
Turn to St. Simon when you need:
Courage to live your Catholic Faith
Greater zeal for Jesus
Perseverance in a difficult mission
Help using your strong personality well
Patience when progress is slow
Courage to defend the Faith with charity
Help knowing when to speak and when to remain silent
Perseverance in parish or apostolic work
Prayer for someone's conversion
Freedom from anger or impatience
Help surrendering control
Strength when your work goes unnoticed
Courage to keep going when you are discouraged
Greater love for Christ
The grace to turn enthusiasm into holiness
A Prayer to St. Simon for Holy Zeal
O glorious St. Simon,
Apostle of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
thou didst hear the call of Jesus
and leave everything to follow Him.
Pray for me.
I especially bring before God:
[Mention your intention.]
St. Simon, obtain for me holy zeal.
When I should act,
give me courage.
When I should speak,
give me the right words.
When I should remain silent,
give me restraint.
When I become impatient,
teach me perseverance.
When I become angry,
lead me back to charity.
When I try to control what belongs to God,
teach me surrender.
When my efforts seem unnoticed,
remind me that Jesus sees them.
When I become discouraged because nothing seems to be changing,
help me remain faithful.
Pray especially for the people I desperately want to help.
Help me love them without trying to control them.
Help me speak truth without losing charity.
Help me pray for them more than I worry about them.
And above all,
obtain for me a heart completely devoted to Jesus Christ.
May everything strong within me
become an instrument for His glory.
St. Simon the Apostle, pray for me.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, make my heart like unto Thine.
Amen.
Before You Act—Pray
If you have a strong personality, try developing one little habit:
Pray before acting.
Before sending the text:
“Holy Ghost, guide me.”
Before correcting someone:
“Jesus, make me charitable.”
Before defending yourself:
“Lord, do I actually need to respond?”
Before making a decision:
“Jesus, what wouldst Thou have me do?”
Before stepping into someone else's problem:
“Is this mine to fix?”
Before doing something because you cannot tolerate waiting:
“Jesus, is this faith—or fear?”
That tiny pause gives grace room to work.
Zeal Does Not Mean Constant Activity
You can love Jesus deeply without constantly doing something.
Sometimes zeal looks like apostolic work.
Sometimes it looks like evangelization.
Sometimes it looks like defending truth.
But sometimes holy zeal looks like:
Going quietly to Mass.
Making a Holy Hour.
Praying your Rosary.
Doing your work well.
Caring for your family.
Keeping your mouth closed when gossip begins.
Forgiving someone.
Serving your parish without recognition.
Praying for someone's conversion for twenty years.
And getting up tomorrow to do it again.
Quiet faithfulness is still zeal.
Pray for the Church
Simon was not merely a private follower of Jesus.
He was an Apostle.
Ask his intercession for the Church.
Pray for:
Our Holy Father.
Bishops.
Priests.
Religious.
Seminarians.
Missionaries.
Catholic families.
Those persecuted for the Faith.
Those who have left the Church.
Those preparing to enter it.
And your own parish.
Instead of merely becoming discouraged about problems in the Church:
pray for her.
Offer a Rosary.
Make a Holy Hour.
Offer a sacrifice.
Help your parish.
Learn the Faith.
Live it faithfully.
That is zeal put to work.
You Don't Need Recognition
Perhaps you are doing something good and wondering:
Does anybody even notice?
Maybe not.
Do it for Jesus anyway.
The world knows relatively little about St. Simon compared with some of the other Apostles.
Yet his name remains forever among the Twelve.
There is something freeing about that.
You can stop asking:
“Does anyone see what I'm doing?”
And begin asking:
“Jesus, is this pleasing to Thee?”
If the answer is yes—
keep going.
Visit Our Parish Bookstore
Visit our parish bookstore for books about the Apostles, Scripture, Catholic apologetics, evangelization, prayer, and the lives of the saints.
Learning more about the Apostles can remind us that Jesus chose ordinary men with different personalities and transformed them through grace.
He still does the same today.
Let Jesus Sanctify Your Zeal
You do not have to stop caring deeply.
You do not have to become passive.
You do not have to lose your determination.
You simply have to give all of it to Jesus.
Tell Him:
“Jesus, take my zeal.”
Take my passion.
Take my stubbornness.
Take my determination.
Take my desire to fix things.
Take my frustration.
Take my voice.
Take my work.
Take my personality.
Purify whatever needs purifying and use the rest for Thy glory.
Then follow Him.
Even when nobody applauds.
Even when progress is slow.
Even when you cannot see the results.
Even when your work remains hidden.
St. Simon's name appears among the Apostles because when Jesus called him—
he followed.
May we have the courage to do the same.
St. Simon the Apostle, give us holy zeal for Jesus Christ.
St. Simon, pray for us!
