"Feast day of St. Andrew"

30^th November 2021:

 (Rom 10:9-18); (Mt 4:18-22)

    

"Feast day of St. Andrew"

On 30^th of November the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Andrew. So, we will reflect on the life of St. Andrew. St. Andrew was one of the disciples of Jesus Christ to whom Jesus called personally. He was the elder brother of St. Peter. He was a fisher man. But Jesus said to him, “Come and follow me. I will make the fishers of people”. At once he left his net and followed Jesus.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the memorial Apostles of Our Lord, one of the Twelve Apostles and indeed the first among them to be called, that is St. Andrew the Apostle, the brother of Simon, who was subsequently known as St. Peter the Apostle, head of the relative multitude of Apostles and the Church. St. Andrew was by the custom, one of the followers of St. John the Baptist, and was one of his teaches that chose to follow the Lord just after He was immersed at the Jordan.

After the resurrection of Jesus. He preached Gospel in western Asia, minor (Turkey) and among the Scythian. He was martyred on a cross made like the letter ‘X’ (since known as St. Andrew’s cross). St. Andrew remained faithful till the last day, even till death and Jesus says, “be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10).

All things considered, he was the first of the Apostles to be called and to respond to that call, which is the reason he is likewise frequently known as St. Andrew the First-Called. Through him, he probably presented his brother Simon, the later St. Peter, as well as the brothers St. James and St. John, the children of Zebedee to the Lord. They were all fishermen at the Lake of Galilee where they worked and toiled each day. The Lord stopped by there after His baptism and preparation in the desert, calling the first of His pupils to follow Him.

As one of the Twelve Apostles, St. Andrew was a nearby friend of the Lord and was available in a significant part of the Lord's works and service, and he was likewise present at the main occasions in crafted by God's salvation. Getting the Holy Spirit along with different Apostles and followers of the Lord, he was enabled and reinforced to do the mission shared with him and numerous others to get out the Good Word of God to every one of the countries and people groups.

As per Church custom and history, St. Andrew went too far away districts including the region around the Dead Sea and the Caucasus, in what is today Ukraine and Crimean locale, spreading the Christian faith and the Good News of God to places similar to the northern compasses of Russia. He likewise went to Greece and different spots nearby, assisting with building the reinforcement of the Church in those places. By custom, during his excursion, he likewise settled the underpinning of the current day See of Constantinople, then, at that point, known as Byzantium at the intersection of Europe and Asia.

For that reason St. Andrew is viewed as the Apostolic beginning of the current Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the second most significant See in Christendom and furthermore the head of our isolated brethren in the Eastern Orthodox fellowship. St. Andrew in the interim was captured and martyred in the city of Patras in the Peloponnesus locale of Greece, for his constancy in evangelization and lecturing the Good News among the agnostics and many individuals. He was killed on a X-formed cross which is presently prevalently known as St. Andrew's cross.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we review the life, work and service, the faith and devotion displayed by St. Andrew in his central goal and life today on his dining experience day, indeed we all are likewise called to ponder our own lives and our own main goal that has been shared with every last one of us as individual followers of Christ. What St. Andrew had done in his life and service is essential for the more noteworthy works and endeavors of the Lord through His Church to bring His reality, salvation and Good News to an ever increasing number of individuals, and this work is still a long way from being finished.

Indeed, brothers and sisters in Christ, similarly as the Lord has called His followers and Apostles from different foundations, enabled them and gave them the mission to preach the Good News, then, at that point, through our sanctification we also have been called to be evangelists of our confidence, the confidence that we have in the Lord and which we are completely called to impart to energy and conviction, and with authentic longing for the salvation of spirits and for the love of our associated brothers and sisters.

St. Paul in our first reading today in quite a while Epistle to the Church and the devoted in Rome discussed are helped to remember the confidence we have in the Lord and the salvation and miracles that we have gotten with full confirmation from Him. Furthermore he reminded every one of us, the reliable that the individuals who carry with them the message of God's Good News and truth will be honored, and God's elegance will be with them. It truly intends that regardless of the preliminaries and difficulties that we might look in our excursion as Christians and in spite of the deterrents we might experience in our central goal as devoted workers of God, we should not be handily dampened by mishaps and sufferings.

God will be with us and He will be close by, accommodating us and our necessities, and regardless of whether we endure, we experience along with Him, He Who Himself has been oppressed for reality, and who had suffered and passed on over our purpose. We should not be anxious and be reluctant to face our Christian faith and convictions, and on second thought we ought to motivate each other with words, yet through real activities and responsibility in our day by day living. All things considered, it isn't by our own power and could that we accomplish crafted by God effectively, however God Who engages us to be His instruments in this world.

In today’s Gospel we also hear about the call of St. Andrew that how Jesus called him? When Jesus calls us. He makes us His disciples. To become a disciple is not an easy way. It is our nature that when we want to do any good work many people stand against us. Jesus also says, “if anyone wishes to follow me deny oneself carry his/her Cross and follow me”.

What is cross? It means when people speak against you, you have to tolerate them. This our cross for becoming his disciples. We have to remain faith like St. Andrew till the last day.

On modern time everybody just thinks about himself. For becoming disciple like St. Andrew we have to leave our homes, our families, relations, our safe corner and luxurious life to follow the one who did not even have a place to lay down his head. But St. Andrew did not think about himself and followed Jesus for fulfilling His mission.

This feast is also giving us message that we should listen others like St. Andrew listened Jesus. Because when we listen Jesus we become aware of our missionary call. St. Andrew listened Jesus and followed Him. Likewise, God calls us also. So that we may also fulfil the mission God has granted us and deny oneself to become follower of Jesus. There are so May followers of Jesus. They only think about themselves. They are not taking up their cross. We have to ask from ourselves. Are we following Jesus? Are we taking up our cross? Are we faithful with Jesus? If not, then there is question mark for us.    

Let all of us to share ourselves with the Lord and His fortune, and recollecting the faith and boldness with which St. Andrew, Holy Apostle of Our Lord has worked hard for the greatness of God and for the salvation of every one of His kin, may we all be motivated to emulate his example and be perpetually dedicated to experience all our minutes with certifiable and sincere Christian confidence. Allow all of us to utilize this period of Advent to set ourselves up entirely, to be qualified to invite the Lord into our middle, from this point forward and consistently. Amen.