As devotees of St. Jude, we send him our petitions and special intentions at times when we need a lot of help with a challenge and when we need just a little extra strength or hope for our days. In addition to this range of petitions to St. Jude, we can also ask for his intercession when we’re seeking God’s forgiveness for ourselves or others.

Forgiveness is essential to our lives as Christians. The path of faith we walk can be very difficult, and we all make mistakes navigating our path with its unique twists and bumps. By seeking forgiveness—even sometimes before we really understand all the various factors of how we fell short—we enrich our relationship with God and open ourselves to be able to refresh our understanding of our heart. Forgiveness from God leads to a reassurance of our essential goodness. It frees us from the burden our mistakes place on us and creates space in our lives for the gifts God gives to us through the Holy Spirit.

Through forgiveness, we experience the hope of reconciliation with God and a chance to start over when we make mistakes in our lives. And this can be a great source of hope for us each day. As part of his promise to help those in need of hope, St. Jude is always with us as we grow in our faith. We can be confident in asking the Patron of Hope to intercede for us, and confident in God’s celebration for our efforts to continually grow to be a better reflection of His love for us.