Meditation for the Day

Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle, November 30

May We Always Live Our Faith Honestly and Courageously, Always Remaining Loyal to the Saving Message of Jesus Christ.

“[Jesus] said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’” – and one can only wonder what went through the hearts and minds of Peter and Andrew when they first heard these words spoken by our Lord.

As someone who once enjoyed the sport of fishing myself, I can only imagine the scene of these hardened fishermen, calloused hands from working on their fishing nets for many years – all of a sudden leaving everything behind, family and livelihood, for we hear in today’s Gospel, “At once they left their nets and followed him.”

Today, we celebrate the Feastday of Saint Andrew, Apostle and brother of Saint Peter. Little else is written about Andrew in the Gospels. Although, in John’s Gospel, we learn that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. And before the multiplication of the loaves, it was Andrew who said to Jesus, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”

Throughout the year, the Church commemorates the lives of those original followers of Jesus. For as we read in Paul’s Letter to the Romans today, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!” And as one of the Twelve, Andrew was called personally by Jesus to proclaim the Good News, to heal with Jesus’ power, and to have a share in His life and death.

And despite the lack of detailed information on many of the original Twelve, their lives of sanctity and their living witness to the faith have become the statement upon which we should meditate today – our own calling to holiness, our own calling to discipleship. And the question we must ask ourselves is, “Have we left what holds us to this world to follow Jesus, as Andrew did?”

Holiness and discipleship today are no different than they were when Andrew walked side-by-side with our Lord. They are gifts that include a call to be concerned about the Kingdom, an outgoing attitude that wants nothing more than to share the riches of Christ with all people.

No matter what our state in life may be – whether one be layman or cleric, bricklayer or doctor, secretary or attorney, white or blue collar worker, housewife or a stay-at-home dad – whether we realize it or not, we are fulfilling what our Lord is asking of us.

No matter what vocation we have been called to live, as long as we keep Christ at the very center, the very focal point of our lives, and with the help of His grace, we are helping to build up the Kingdom of God here on Earth!

It is by the very virtue of our Baptism that we participate and are made sharers in the threefold mission of Jesus Christ as “priest, prophet and king”, for not only is our head anointed, but we, as members of His Body, are anointed to go forth as Christians. For, we are each called to become Christ-like to all those we meet in our daily lives, and especially in our workplaces and in our families. In other words, we are to be imitators of Christ in everything that we think, in everything we say and do.

It is by the life that we live and it is by the example that we set which shows others the pathway to God’s Kingdom. And Jesus said to Andrew and his brother Peter in today’s Gospel, and to each of us in a very particular and unique way, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Being Christian today, in a world which no longer recognizes sin, in a world which is consumed with secular pleasures, is not easy. And our Lord did forewarn His disciples and us that we would face difficulties, and that some would even be persecuted for our Christian beliefs.

Our Heavenly and Most Loving Father needs us to stand strong in a world which so greatly offends His Love, and which so badly needs to hear His message of Truth!

What is it about the Apostles that attract our attention, especially in a world today which has given itself over to the seductions of darkness? It is their faithfulness and their love for Jesus Christ and their devotion to the Gospel message – all, except Judas – who became living examples for each of us to follow.

Just as our Lord did for Andrew, our Lord also breathes upon each of us His Holy Spirit, so that you and I may be strengthened to fulfill our calling to holiness and discipleship, our becoming faithful witnesses to Christ Jesus in our daily lives.

With selfless generosity and love for all our brothers and sisters in Christ, may we learn from the lives of these holy men who gave everything, even the ultimate sacrifice of their own blood, for the sake of building up God’s Kingdom here on Earth.

May their lives guide each of us in our individual journeys on this side of the eternal, and may the lives of Saint Andrew and all the Holy Apostles give each of us the strength and the courage to live our faith honestly and courageously, and to always remain loyal to the saving message of Jesus Christ! †

******************************************************************

Please Comment, Like and Share, and Suggest to your Facebook friends – to spread the message of God’s Merciful Love.

Por favor Comente, Le Gusta y Comparta, y Sugiera a tus amigos en Facebook – en difundir el mensaje del Misericordioso Amor de Dios.

******************************************************************

Scripture for the Day

• “[Jesus] said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:19-20)
• “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain…” (John 15:16a)
• “As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!’” (Romans 10:15b)
• “Every one who acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.” (Matthew 10:32)
• “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)
• “But you are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises’ of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
• “I have become all things to all, to save at least some. All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:22b-23)
• “Their voice has gone forth to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” (Romans 10:18b; cf. Psalm 19:5a)

******************************************************************

Prayer for the Day

“Dear Jesus,
help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go.

“Flood my soul with Thy Spirit and Love.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly
that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine.

“Shine through me and be so in me
that every soul I come in contact with
may feel Thy Presence in my soul.

“Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus.
Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as You shine,
so to shine as to be a light to others.”

Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta