Today we celebrate the feast of St
Andrew, one of the 12 apostles. Like
many of the apostles, the Gospel does not go into a great detail about
him. Today’s reading from Matthew tells
us that Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter, that he was called to be a
disciple out of the everyday reality of his life while he & his brother
were casting a net into the sea. Jesus
called them to follow him – they were amongst his first followers. Andrew & Simon Peter immediately put down
their nets & followed him. Tradition
has it that Andrew brought the Gospel to the people of Turkey & Greece
after Jesus’ death & resurrection, where Andrew gave his life as a martyr
in order to continue Christ’s mission to the world.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells
us how important it is for us to share our faith with others, to continue the
work of Christ here on earth by preaching the Gospel. Paul tells us it does not matter if we are
Jew or Greek – it doesn’t matter who we are & what our status in life is –
Christ’s Gospel is open to all.
As we journey through this first week
in Advent & as we hear of the witness of Andrew the Apostle, may we see the
responsibility we have in helping to spread the Gospel throughout the
world. As part of our Advent practices,
may we find new & different ways that we can help Jesus & his apostles
in their mission to spread the Good News throughout the world.
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