St Andrew the Apostle

Rom. 10:9-18, Mt. 4:18-22. There is a simplicity in the narrative of today's Gospel about the vocation of Andrew and his friends. Jesus sees four fishermen, the brothers Simon and Andrew and another pair of brothers, James and John, going about their daily work, fishing in the lake and He invites them: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of people.” Immediately they all leave their nets to follow Jesus to share in spreading His message. The Gospel streamlines an experience in the lives of these men that may have been more complex in reality. One would expect them to put up some resistance to such a radical calling, that would mean leaving their familiar lives and heading out into the unknown. Catching people is a bigger challenge than catching fish. Gathering people into the net of the Kingdom of God is harder than catching fish in their nets from the Sea of Galilee.

Our call is not that different to that of Andrew. We can be called from one lifestyle to another, to go beyond where we are, beyond the familiar, for the sake of promoting God’s will. That call can come to us in small and subtle ways. We may resist it, but if we let it draw us and respond to it, we can discover that the Lord works through us for good in surprising ways. An ordinary individual like Andrew from an ordinary context of life was called. The Lord chose him not because of what he is but because of what he can become; He does not choose his works but his heart. To support one another in the things of the spirit is the true sign of goodwill between brothers, of loving kinship and sincere affection. Andrew brought Peter to Jesus. Peter seems to accept Andrew’s word readily without any resistance or question. On this day, we should give some thought to how we, in our own way, could better follow Jesus and help others also to find His friendship as a force for good in their lives.

May the Lord who called St Andrew to preach the Gospel, guide His Church so that we may always experience the presence of the Lord in all our life! Amen!! Good morning and happy weekend!!!