Readings
I - Rom. 10: 9 -18
II - Mt. 4: 18-22
St. Andrew (Apostle) - Feast
FOLLOW THE LORD IN FAITH AND COURAGE
The Lord calls whomever he wants (Mk. 3:13). Be it Peter, the fisherman or Matthew, the tax collector or Simon, the zealot or Saul, the learned and the persecutor. Jesus calls them to be with him and to be sent on a mission (Mk. 3:14). The mission precisely is to preach the Good News and to build up the Kingdom of God. To be the messengers of love, peace and joy for the purpose of establishing a subservient social order, an egalitarian society where freedom, fraternity and justice reign. The adherence and commitment to the call of God requires faith and courage. Faith in the one who calls will accompany all through the life journey and the courage to endure and face all suffering, persecution, defamation, false accusation and finally death on this accord.
Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter (Jn. 1:40) and the apostle of Jesus. His commitment to the call of Jesus was instantaneous that evince his faith in the great Rabbi and the Messiah, Jesus. He travelled around Asia Minor and Black Sea preaching the Good news with great courage and conviction. When he was sentenced to death by crucifixion, he felt that he was unworthy to be crucified like his master Jesus Christ and hence asked to be crucified on a diagonal cross. This is why the Scottish flag have a diagonal cross as St. Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland.
Christ has called each one of us to be his followers through our baptism to partake in the priestly, kingly and prophetic mission of the Church. We need not accomplish great things but make the principles of Christ our way of living in the day-to-day context making our ordinary living an extraordinary one as set out by Jesus our Master and Model. May St. Andrew, the apostle, strengthen our faith and help us to courageously commit ourselves to the mission of being the messengers of the Good News through our exemplary living. May our mind and heart resonate with the prayer: “St. Andrew, the apostle of Christ, Pray for us”.
