St. Simon
In St. Matthew's Gospel, we read of St. Simon or Simeon who is described as one of our Lord's brethren or kinsmen. His father was Cleophas, St. Joseph's brother, and his mother, according to some writers, was our Lady's sister. He would therefore be our Lord's first cousin and is supposed to have been about eight years older than He. No doubt he is one of those brethren of Christ who are mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as having received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. St. Epiphanius says that when the Jews massacred St. James the Lesser, his brother Simeon upbraided them for their cruelty. The apostles and disciples afterwards met together to appoint a successor to James as bishop of Jerusalem, and they unanimously chose Simeon, who had probably assisted his brother in the government of that church. In the year 66 civil war broke out in Palestine, as a consequence of Jewish opposition to the Romans. The Christians in Jerusalem were warned of the impending destruction of the city and appear to have been divinely ordered to leave it. Accordingly that same year, before Vespasian entered Judaea, they retired with St. Simeon at their head to the other side of the Jordan, occupying a small city called Pella. After the capture and burning of Jerusalem, the Christians returned and settled among the ruins until the Emperor Hadrian afterwards entirely razed it. We are told by St. Epiphanius and by Eusebius that the church here flourished greatly, and that many Jews were converted by the miracles wrought by the saints. When Vespasian and Domitian had ordered the destruction of all who were of the race of David, St. Simeon had escaped their search; but when Trajan gave a similar injunction, he was denounced as being not only one of David's descendants, but also a Christian, and he was brought before Atticus, the Roman governor. He was condemned to death and, after being tortured, was crucified. Although he was extremely old - tradition reports him to have attained the age of 120 - Simeon endured his sufferings with a degree of fortitude which roused the admiration of Atticus himself. His feast day is February 18
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St. Simon pray for me, for my tyroide.
Dear Saint,
Pray for me to know, serve and Love God with a pure heart. Instill in me the spirit to suffer with the Lord during this Lent. Help me to understand the unconditional Love Our Lord bestows on us. Amen.
Please pray for Jacob that he finds peace and the right path, for his mother that the doctors can slow the progression of her disease and for all cancer patients that we deal with our disease with grace and dignity. Thank you.
St. Simon, please pray for us to bear our sufferings with forbearance and fortitude.
happy feast day St. Simon. please help me to have more passion in my faith. thank you
St. Simon pray for us. Pray that the cardinals will be guided by the Holy Spirit in choosing a new Pope. St. Simon guide us in. This great time of. Uncertainty and evil all around us. Amen
St.Simon i pray 2 you in great faith i ask you 2 pray for me and my family
I ask you 2 help me in my work
God Bless us all
Amen
18th feb 2013:st simon apostle pray for us!
pray for my family my parents. to have o long life like yours? oh holy spirit touch there heart to know our Lord especialy his teachings forgiveness an love. amen
Dear St. Simon, Please pray for me to be consistent in my faith and love towards Jesus and strive to become more prayerful during this lent season.
Oh yeah I see the resemblance. Seriously 120 isn't that much older than the oldest people today (only five years). Simon Says.
looks more like the story of st jude thaddeus. are they brothers?
Can you please explain me how Simon/Simeon was son of our Lady's sister, if She was the only child of Joaquim and Anna that were very old when our Lady was born.
Thanks in advance for your interest in my question,
Manuel
i guess william randolph hearst's famous estate in california, san simeon, is named after saint simeon? i just mention it to show how this saint's name is still alive in our time. thanks for the information. i never knew who san simeon/saint simeon was in church history.
The earliest Saints always seem to have the most shocking examples of faith. God bless all.
this should give me more info
MORE INFO!!