St. Jude Thaddeus: Patron of Hopeless & Desperate Cases

St. Jude Thaddeus feast day: October 28

Are you faced with a desperate situation? The prayer to St. Jude printed below helps remind us that nothing is impossible with God, even help when you’re at your wit’s end. Considering that thanksgiving notes appear in newspapers to this patron saint of desperate cases, praying to him must have some effect!

St. Jude was one of the twelve Apostles. Mark’s (3:18) and Matthew’s (10:3) gospels refer to him as Thaddeus (a surname meaning “amiable or “loving”), possibly in part to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, our Lord’s betrayer! John’s gospel refers to him in the last supper as “Judas… not the Iscariot” (14:22).

The evangelist no doubt wanted to make sure that he would not be confused with the man Jesus Himself referred to as the “son of perdition” in John 17:11!

This prayer to St. Jude touches on that

"Oh glorious apostle St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered thy beloved Master into the hands of His enemies has caused thee to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes thee universally as the patron of hopeless cases - of things despaired of.

Pray for me who am so miserable; make use, I implore thee, of that particular privilege accorded thee of bringing visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of.

Come to my assistance in this great need, that I may receive the consolations and succor of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly (mention your request), and that I may bless God with thee and all the elect throughout eternity.

I promise thee, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to honor thee as my special and powerful patron, and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to thee.

Amen!"

For a Special Favor

"O glorious Apostle St. Jude, true relative of Jesus and Mary, I salute you through the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Through this Heart, I praise and thank God for all the graces He has bestowed upon you. Humbly prostrate before you, I implore you through this Heart to look down upon me with compassion. Despise not my poor prayer and let not my trust be in vain. To you has been assigned the privilege of aiding mankind in the most desperate cases. Oh, come to my aid that I may praise the mercies of God. All my life I will be grateful to you and will be your faithful client until I can thank you in heaven.

Amen."

For Spiritual Help

"Glorious apostle, martyr, and servant of Jesus, St. Jude Thaddeus, you spread the true faith among the most barbarous and distant nations, and won to the obedience of Jesus Christ many tribes and peoples by the power of His Holy Word. Grant, I beg you, that from this day I may renounce every sinful habit, that I may be preserved from all evil thoughts, that I may always obtain your assistance, particularly in danger and difficulty, and that I may reach the heavenly country, with you to adore the Most Holy Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen."

For Help in Trials

Most holy apostle St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered your beloved Master into the hands of His enemies has caused you to be forgotten by many. But the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless cases--of things despaired of. Pray for me who feels so hopeless. Make use, I implore you, of that particular privilege accorded to you of bringing visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need, that I may receive the consolations and succor of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, in particular (mention your intention), and that I may bless God with you and all the elect throughout eternity. I promise you, O Blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to you.

Amen."

Novena To St. Jude

DAY ONE

"O blessed apostle St. Jude, who labored zealously among the Gentiles in many lands, and performed numerous miracles in needy and despairing cases, we invoke you to take special interest in us and our needs. We feel that you understand us in a particular way. Hear our prayers and our petitions and plead for us in all our necessities especially request. May we be patient in learning God's holy will and courageous in carrying it out. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us….. My Jesus, mercy."

DAY TWO

"O blessed apostle Jude, who has been instrumental in gathering us here together this day, grant that we may always serve Jesus Christ as he deserves to be served, giving of our best efforts in living as he wishes us to live. May we dispose our hearts and minds that god will always be inclined to listen to our prayers and petitions, especially those petitions which we entrust to your care and for which we as you to plead for us request. Grant that we may be enlightened as to what is best for us, in the present and future, not forgetting the blessings we have received in the past. Amen."

St. Jude, pray for us……. My Jesus, mercy.

DAY THREE

"O holy St. Jude, apostle of Jesus Christ, you who have so faithfully and devotedly helped to spread his Gospel of Light, we who are gathered together today in your honor, ask and petition you to remember us and our needs. Especially do we pray for request. May it also please our Lord to lend an ear to your supplications in our behalf. Grant that we may ever pray with fervor and devotion, resigning ourselves humbly to the divine will, seeing God's purpose in all our trials and knowing that he will leave no sincere prayer unanswered in some way. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us…….. My Jesus, mercy."

DAY FOUR

"Saint blessed Jude, you were called to be one of Christ's chosen apostles and labored to bring men to a knowledge and love of God; listen with compassion to those gathered together to honor you and ask your intercession. In this troubled world of ours we have many trials, difficulties, and temptations. Plead for us in the Heavenly court, asking that our petitions may be answered, especially the particular one we have in mind at this moment request. May it please God to answer our prayers in the way that he knows best, giving us grace to see his purpose in all things. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us….. My Jesus, mercy."

DAY FIVE

"O holy St. Jude, apostle and companion of Christ Jesus, you have shown us by example how to leas a life of zeal and devotion. We humbly entreat you today to hear our prayers and petitions. Especially do we ask you to obtain for us the following favor request. Grant that in praying for present and future favors we may not forget the innumerable ones granted in the past but often return to give thanks. Humbly we resign ourselves to God's holy will, knowing that he alone knows what is best for us especially in our present needs and necessities. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us…… My Jesus, mercy."

DAY SIX

"St. Jude, apostle of Christ and helper in despairing cases, hear the prayers and petitions of those who are gathered together in your honor. In all our needs and desires may we only seek what is pleasing to God and what is best for our salvation. These, our petitions request we submit to you, asking you to obtain them for us, if they are for the good of out souls. We are resigned to God's holy will in all things, knowing that he will leave no sincere prayer unanswered in some way though it may be in a way unexpected by us. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us….. My Jesus, mercy."

DAY SEVEN

"O holy apostle Saint Jude, in whose honor we are gathered today, may we never forget that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ chose you to be one of twelve apostles. Because of this and of the martyrdom you suffered for the Faith, we know you are a close friend of Almighty God. Therefore we do not hesitate to petition you in our necessities, especially request. We humbly submit ourselves to the will of God, knowing full well that no sincere prayer is ever left unanswered. May we see god's good and gracious purpose working in all our trials. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us……. My Jesus, mercy."

DAY EIGHT

"O holy Saint Jude, apostle of Christ, pray that we may ever imitate the Divine Master and live according to His will. May we cooperate with the grace of God and ever remain pleasing in His sight. Especially do we ask you to plead for us and obtain whatsoever is necessary for our salvation. Forget not our special petitions request. May we always be thankful to God for the blessings we have received in the past. Whatsoever we ask for the present or future, we submit to the divine will, realizing that God knows best what is good for us. We know He will respond to our prayers and petitions in one way or another. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us…… My Jesus, mercy."

DAY NINE

"O holy Saint Jude, apostle and martyr, grant that we may so dispose our lives that we may always be pleasing to God. In working out our salvation in this life we have many needs and necessities. Today we turn to you, asking you to intercede for us and obtain for us the favors we ask of God. Especially do we petition for request. May we not so much seek temporal good but rather what will avail our souls, knowing that it will profit us nothing if we gain the whole world yet suffer the loss of our soul. Therefore, may we incline ourselves toward the divine will, seeing God's good and gracious purpose in all our trials. Amen.

St. Jude, pray for us. My Jesus, mercy.

Amen!"

Source: http://www.2heartsnetwork.org/Jude.htm

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