Who is this St. Jude dude? Why are people always thanking him in the
classified section of the newspaper?
--Lisa K., Madison, Wisconsin
I am continually shocked at how little the coming generation knows about
the realm of the spirit. Saint Jude is the patron saint of hopeless
causes. Also known as Jude Thaddeus, he was one of the 12 apostles, but
other than that virtually nothing is known about him. According to the
Oxford Dictionary of Saints, his job as lost-cause czar "is said to have
originated because nobody invoked him for anything since his name so
closely resembled that of Judas, who betrayed the Lord." In other words,
he was so hard up for work he'd jump at the chance to intercede for you.
Devotion to Jude first began in the late 1700s in France and Germany. If he comes through for you today, one gathers, you're supposed to manifest your gratitude publicly. Who originated this practice? I dunno. But I'll bet he moonlighted selling classified ads.
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