The divine invitation from God to “rest in Him” in our day-to-day lives can seem mysterious, and even easy to miss because God’s voice is so often gently quiet. We may know intellectually that God is woven into the fabric of our lives, through scripture and taken on faith through church teaching and the sacraments, but resting at ease in God’s presence often requires something more.

Our reverence for St. Jude, and in turn our reverence for all the saints and martyrs, makes a luminous distinction for us as devotees in our efforts to know and rest in God. The lives of the saints were governed by “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6) in Jesus, whose leadership is the way of service and example, the way of mercy and love.

St. Jude, as a disciple of Christ, maintains hallmark qualities that give us a unique vantage point in our devotion because of his ability to inspire hope when hope seems most elusive. Because we know hope in the face of all that challenges and troubles us, we know something very fundamental about what it means to rest in God.

Devotional prayer to St. Jude provides an especially meaningful opportunity for us to unburden ourselves to God, always with hope and honest communication that we need some help. Prayer of any kind is a response to God’s presence that is already with us; He instigated something in each of us by calling us to our devotion to St. Jude. The prayers we say and feel and offer through our St. Jude novenas, special intentions, petitions of gratitude, and enrollments for the those in need are all ways of giving ourselves to God. Through this open and honest communication, we turn over to Him that which He asks us to give Him.

While not every part of our faith journey is smooth, God continually gives us His love . . . and St. Jude for an additional anchor!