Feast of St Andrew, the first apostle called by Jesus, brother of Simon Peter. It was he who introduced Peter to Jesus. It was Andrew (in John 6:8) who told Jesus about the boy with the five loaves and two fish. He closely collaborated with Jesus during His ministry. He became the first bishop of Byzantium and is reputed to have evangelised also in Russia, Romania and the Ukraine. He was crucified on an X-shaped cross - hence the 'cross of St Andrew' - symbol of Scotland - to where his relics were brought and veneration of him grew. He is the Patron Saint of Scotland.
Readings - Reflection
ROMANS 10:9–18
Brothers and sisters: You are saved if you confess with your lips that
Jesus is Lord, and in your heart you believe that God raised him from
the dead. By believing from the heart, you obtain true righteousness;
by confessing the faith with your lips you are saved. For Scripture
says: No one who believes in him will be ashamed. Here there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord, who is very
generous with whoever calls on him. Truly, all who call upon the name
of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call upon the name of the
Lord without having believed in him? And how can they believe in him
without having first heard about him? And how will they hear about him
if no one preaches about him? And how will they preach about him if no
one sends them? As Scripture says: How beautiful are the feet of the
messenger of good news. Although not everyone obeyed the good news, as
Isaiah said: Lord, who has believed in our preaching? So, faith comes
from preaching, and preaching is rooted in the word of Christ. I ask:
Have the Jews not heard? But of course they have. Because the voice of
those preaching resounded all over the earth and their voice was heard
to the ends of the world.
MATTHEW 4:18-22
As Jesus walked by the lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon
called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake, for
they were fishermen. He said to them, "Come, follow me, and I will
make you fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed
him. He went on from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son
of Zebedee, and his brother John in a boat with their father Zebedee,
mending their nets. Jesus called them. At once they left the boat and
their father and followed him.
REFLECTION
Very little details are made known to us in today's Gospel. All we
know is that Jesus called two pairs of brothers, and they followed
him. What inspired them to drop everything they were doing to follow
one man, a stranger nonetheless? What words did Jesus speak in order
to convince them to follow? In what manner did he approach them? Was
there something extraordinarily different in the way Jesus appeared to
them? The Gospel gives us no definite answers.
We can, however, reflect and put ourselves in the same position as
these first apostles. Imagine our lives today, caught up in the hustle
and bustle of daily life, and preoccupied with work, family, school,
society, etc. Then imagine a stranger approaching us and saying,
"Come, follow me!" What would it take for us to leave whatever it is
we are doing and follow him? What qualities would we look for in a man
in order for us to recognize him as our leader? Off the top of our
heads, we can easily think of several traits: honesty, integrity,
generosity, charisma, among others.
Surely the apostles must have seen these qualities in Jesus. For what
else would convince them to step away from their daily routine and
follow him? These are the very same qualities which we should be
looking for when choosing our leaders. These are also the same values
we should be teaching our children and promoting in our society. For
it is by these traits that we become more like Jesus, and in becoming
more like him, shall we be saved.
Brothers and sisters: You are saved if you confess with your lips that
Jesus is Lord, and in your heart you believe that God raised him from
the dead. By believing from the heart, you obtain true righteousness;
by confessing the faith with your lips you are saved. For Scripture
says: No one who believes in him will be ashamed. Here there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord, who is very
generous with whoever calls on him. Truly, all who call upon the name
of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call upon the name of the
Lord without having believed in him? And how can they believe in him
without having first heard about him? And how will they hear about him
if no one preaches about him? And how will they preach about him if no
one sends them? As Scripture says: How beautiful are the feet of the
messenger of good news. Although not everyone obeyed the good news, as
Isaiah said: Lord, who has believed in our preaching? So, faith comes
from preaching, and preaching is rooted in the word of Christ. I ask:
Have the Jews not heard? But of course they have. Because the voice of
those preaching resounded all over the earth and their voice was heard
to the ends of the world.
MATTHEW 4:18-22
As Jesus walked by the lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon
called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake, for
they were fishermen. He said to them, "Come, follow me, and I will
make you fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed
him. He went on from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son
of Zebedee, and his brother John in a boat with their father Zebedee,
mending their nets. Jesus called them. At once they left the boat and
their father and followed him.
REFLECTION
Very little details are made known to us in today's Gospel. All we
know is that Jesus called two pairs of brothers, and they followed
him. What inspired them to drop everything they were doing to follow
one man, a stranger nonetheless? What words did Jesus speak in order
to convince them to follow? In what manner did he approach them? Was
there something extraordinarily different in the way Jesus appeared to
them? The Gospel gives us no definite answers.
We can, however, reflect and put ourselves in the same position as
these first apostles. Imagine our lives today, caught up in the hustle
and bustle of daily life, and preoccupied with work, family, school,
society, etc. Then imagine a stranger approaching us and saying,
"Come, follow me!" What would it take for us to leave whatever it is
we are doing and follow him? What qualities would we look for in a man
in order for us to recognize him as our leader? Off the top of our
heads, we can easily think of several traits: honesty, integrity,
generosity, charisma, among others.
Surely the apostles must have seen these qualities in Jesus. For what
else would convince them to step away from their daily routine and
follow him? These are the very same qualities which we should be
looking for when choosing our leaders. These are also the same values
we should be teaching our children and promoting in our society. For
it is by these traits that we become more like Jesus, and in becoming
more like him, shall we be saved.
In 1992, Pope John Paul II designated February 11 as World Day of the Sick. This is a time for "prayer and sharing, of offering one's suffering for the good of the Church and of reminding us to see in our sick brother and sister the face of Christ who, by suffering, dying and rising, achieved the salvation of humankind." (Quote from Letter Instituting the World Day of the Sick, 13 May 1992)