Praying for Hope with Saint Jude
By Drey Carr

In the long marathon of Christian life, prayer is our constant ally whenever we need to renew our courage, or when our hope seems to be fading. When our own strength threatens to fail, one holy instinct is to lean on our friends and family who are stronger than ourselves. Our friends in heaven, the saints, certainly matter as well. Our readers will know that St. Jude is often one of those friends. While St. Jude is known as a wonderful intercessor for desperate situations and so called ‘lost causes,’ it is because of these patronages that he is also the Apostle of Hope! We can rely on the intercession of this great saint at our lowest moments – not just because he understands our pain, but because he points the way to our greatest hope – eternal life. Like Mary, St. Jude is a mirror of Jesus Christ’s holiness, reminding us of his Resurrection and his promises, even in the face of our weakness.

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
— Epistle of St. Jude 1:20–21

When we think about it, each of our lives can be described as a ‘desperate situation.’ No matter what wealth or accomplishments we have stored up, we know that original sin tempts us away from Christ. So where can we find hope? The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the strong foundation for our hope in happiness. Prayer, even of the wordless, most simple kind, should remind us of that Resurrection. Whenever we collect ourselves in silence, or in short prayers like ‘Jesus I trust in you,’ we make a connection that helps us to believe in hope. One of my favorite prayers to St. Jude is one I can humbly say I wrote all by myself – it goes like this: ‘St. Jude, help me!’

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness.”
— Second Epistle of St. Paul to Timothy 4:7-8

If you have ever run a race, or even walked down the street, you know that it is a simple matter of one step after another. If we focused on taking big, long, impressive steps at every moment, we would quickly tire ourselves out, and even going to the grocery store would be a chore. We should keep this in mind when we think about prayer! A life of prayer taken step by simple step will help us to finish our Christian race with a loving strength – but feel free to break into a run when the Spirit takes you! Saying Jesus’ name, or asking for the quick intercession of St. Jude as we pass out of a church, are faithful ways for us to keep our courage and our hope gathered together through all the days of our lives. We build up our hope, and our faith, step by step.

“Hope comes from love, because people always trust in those they love.”
— St. Catherine of Siena, O.P., Letter T352

It can be difficult to hope when things are not going well. But as St. Catherine of Siena says, hope can be found through love. It is through our basic love and trust of God that we can then turn to hope. It can be helpful to examine your heart and see where even your shortest prayers, born out of love or faith, can lead to the unexpected gift of hope. Traditionally known as the three theological virtues, faith, hope, and love all intermingle and reinforce each other. If you are feeling low on hope, try love! If you trust St. Jude enough to ask for his intercession, try to see where your trust in him turns into hope, even when your prayers are asked in tears. I believe that you will find a strong ally in the Apostle of Hope.