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A very good friend of mine recently delivered her son almost 4 months premature. Many of you who read this blog have heard about this and been praying for him. Thank you for your prayers. The following is something I wrote to share with my students who have been faithfully praying for him for weeks now...
Many of you have faithfully and lovingly remembered in your prayers my friend Erin and her baby Jude. Jude was born on February 14th after only 24 weeks in his mother’s womb. Almost 4 months premature he suffered from many issues that come along with being under developed. Jude struggled and suffered for 7 days. On February 21st he entered heaven where he will suffer no more. Those of us who loved him and prayed for him might be left to wonder why this happened and if God even heard our prayers. I had great faith that a miracle would happen and Jude would be healed through the intercession of Saint Jude. God did indeed hear our prayers but he had a better plan. This reminds me of CS Lewis when he said “We are not necessarily doubting that God will do what is best for us, we are just wondering how painful that best will be.” Jude was anxious to get to heaven so he could meet Jesus. After all, the goal of every single life is to get to heaven. Jude just expedited the process. His little body as young and tiny as it was knew the joys that awaited him in heaven and so he rushed there where he will receive his crown and reign as a Saint for all of eternity.
Often times in our lives we wonder why we must suffer and if suffering has any value at all. Jude witnessed to the value of suffering. In his 7 days of life Jude touched more lives then I think many people touch in 60 or 70 years. Jude called people on to prayer who otherwise don’t often talk to God or acknowledge his existence. Jude witnessed to the reality of faith in the family of God by pulling people together around his life. Jude has showed us exactly what life is supposed to be, completely and totally dependent on God. Jude came, drew people to God and then went to spend eternity in heaven. He completed his life perfectly. I was able to meet Jude and even got to hold his hand through the side of his incubator. It will remain one of the best moments of my life, for I met a perfect little saint. I have faith that now in heaven Jude is saying that it was all worth it. If Jude can do so much in just 7 days imagine what those of us who live 18, 29, or even 80 years can do if we just give our lives over to God the way Jude did.
Those of us who knew Jude will be sad for quite some time for we mourn the loss of someone we all loved very much but Jude will be our comfort from heaven. Immaculee, a Rwandan Genocide survivor who lost almost her entire family in the genocide once had a vision of her family in heaven in which her brother appeared to her and said “do not be sad, if you only knew how great it is where we are you would never wish for us to return to earth.” I think Jude is saying the same thing to all of us now. If we only understood how great it is where he is now we would be able to rejoice for him. We know that Jude is now in heaven and so we must find comfort in knowing that he is in the place that we all long to be one day.
Jude’s parents were faithful and completed their job well. The single goal of any parent is to love their children and then deliver them to our Lord in heaven. Jude’s parents loved him in the womb and out and then faithfully handed him to Jesus where he belongs.
Jude died while in his mother’s arms. He is now resting in the arms of our heavenly mother where he waits and hopes that we will all decide to join him one day. I pray that through the intercession of Saint Jude we all will one day be with him again.
Saint Jude Michael Webster, pray for us.
Often times in our lives we wonder why we must suffer and if suffering has any value at all. Jude witnessed to the value of suffering. In his 7 days of life Jude touched more lives then I think many people touch in 60 or 70 years. Jude called people on to prayer who otherwise don’t often talk to God or acknowledge his existence. Jude witnessed to the reality of faith in the family of God by pulling people together around his life. Jude has showed us exactly what life is supposed to be, completely and totally dependent on God. Jude came, drew people to God and then went to spend eternity in heaven. He completed his life perfectly. I was able to meet Jude and even got to hold his hand through the side of his incubator. It will remain one of the best moments of my life, for I met a perfect little saint. I have faith that now in heaven Jude is saying that it was all worth it. If Jude can do so much in just 7 days imagine what those of us who live 18, 29, or even 80 years can do if we just give our lives over to God the way Jude did.
Those of us who knew Jude will be sad for quite some time for we mourn the loss of someone we all loved very much but Jude will be our comfort from heaven. Immaculee, a Rwandan Genocide survivor who lost almost her entire family in the genocide once had a vision of her family in heaven in which her brother appeared to her and said “do not be sad, if you only knew how great it is where we are you would never wish for us to return to earth.” I think Jude is saying the same thing to all of us now. If we only understood how great it is where he is now we would be able to rejoice for him. We know that Jude is now in heaven and so we must find comfort in knowing that he is in the place that we all long to be one day.
Jude’s parents were faithful and completed their job well. The single goal of any parent is to love their children and then deliver them to our Lord in heaven. Jude’s parents loved him in the womb and out and then faithfully handed him to Jesus where he belongs.
Jude died while in his mother’s arms. He is now resting in the arms of our heavenly mother where he waits and hopes that we will all decide to join him one day. I pray that through the intercession of Saint Jude we all will one day be with him again.
Saint Jude Michael Webster, pray for us.
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