Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Apostle Andrew. In the Gospel passage for this feast (Mt 4:18-22), we see Andrew, along with his brother Simon Peter, being called by Jesus as they fish in their boat. Shortly after we see the brothers James and John also called by Jesus as they mend their fishing nets. What is impressive about the call of both sets of brothers is how quickly they respond. In both cases, they drop everything immediately and follow Jesus. This can be a little alarming to us since we are so cautious by nature. How were they sure that it was truly the Lord who was calling them? How can we know that it is the Lord who also calls us?
Fortunately, the Gospel of John gives us more background to this call, at least for Andrew and Peter. In the first chapter of the gospel of John, we learn that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, and he and another disciple are standing with John when he sees Jesus, and pointing Jesus out to his two disciples, John calls him the “Lamb of God.” Andrew and the other disciples follow Jesus and listen to him, and Andrew brings his brother Simon Peter to Jesus, telling him, “We have found the Messiah.” So, these two have some background with Jesus, they have spent time with him and listened to his teaching before he calls them definitively on the lakeshore and they rise to follow him.
This teaches us that we need to spend time with the Lord in prayer, listening to him, and learning from him. Then when he calls us, we will be ready to respond wholeheartedly as Andrew, Peter, James, and John did.
Reflection by Fr. Aquinas Keusenkothen, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections