Daily Gospel Reflection
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November 30, 2020
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
It can be difficult to leave the familiar to pursue a new opportunity. What we leave behind—the circle of friends we keep, the town we grew up in, or the job we enjoy—forms an important part of how we see ourselves. We might hesitate or want more time to consider such a decision, given the uncertainty our new direction might produce.
A few years ago, I was offered an exciting new job that would challenge me and push me. Before accepting the offer, I struggled with the thought of leaving behind the comfort of my old job and the people there. I was hesitant, but I prayed about it and ultimately realized that this new position is an important opportunity to grow. I had to leave behind the familiar and accept the uncertainty of the new.
Andrew and the first disciples face a life-changing decision when they hear Jesus’ call—do they stay with their nets and remain in their familiar routines as fishermen, or do they accept his invitation to “fish for people”? With great faith, they immediately choose to follow Jesus and leave behind their nets and boat—the tools of their trade and part of their identity. They leap into the unknown, trusting in Jesus.
Today and every day, Jesus calls us into a deeper, more personal relationship. It can be difficult to leave behind our old, familiar habits of relating to God and to grow into more mature ways of believing. Jesus’ invitation may challenge us to a more active faith life or lead us in unexpected directions. We may feel uncertain or even scared about where his invitation will take us.
Like Andrew and the first followers of Jesus, we must put our trust and faith in him. Let us pray for courage to accept Jesus’ invitation and willingness to leave behind our old ways of life, believing he has greater things in store for us than we can imagine.
Prayer
O, Christ, we have heard your voice. We have felt your eyes upon us. And we have turned and dropped our nets. We follow you, with one shaky foot after the other. What will you have us do now? We follow you not because we know where you lead us, but because we know it is you, O Christ, who leads. Our hands often itch for the sureness of the nets we knew before. But now we hold our hands open in faith. Lead on, Master, to deeper and wilder waters. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Andrew stands out from the other disciples because he was the first to respond to the invitation to follow Christ. He is known in the Greek Church as the Protoclete—"first called."
Like his brother, Simon Peter, Andrew was born in Galilee, traditionally thought to be Bethsaida, and grew up near the lake of Genesareth to become a fisherman. He became a follower of John the Baptist until, one day, John pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” (John 1:35-51).
In a homily on this passage in the Gospel of John, St. John Chrysostom writes:
"Andrew's words reveal a soul waiting with the utmost longing for the coming of the Messiah, looking forward to his appearing from heaven, rejoicing when he does appear, and hastening to announce so great an event to others. To support one another in the things of the spirit is the true sign of good will between brothers, of loving kinship and sincere affection."
Andrew not only saw the Light of the World when John the Baptist pointed him out but carried that light clearly and brightly to his brother, Peter.
Andrew and Simon remained fishermen for a time until Jesus called them away and promised to make them fishers of people. Tradition holds that Andrew traveled to Greece to spread the good news after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.
It is claimed that he was martyred by being tied (not nailed) to a cross in the shape of an “X," and that he lived for two days on the cross and continued to preach to those gathered around him, but this is unlikely as the X-shaped cross was not known before the 14th century. Nevertheless, Andrew is most often depicted holding a cross of this shape.
St. Andrew is the patron saint of Greece and Russia, where it is claimed he traveled to preach. He is also a patron of Scotland, though he did not visit there—that designation comes from another saint who protected his relics.
St. Regulus, a native of Greece, was designated to protect St. Andrew's relics in the fourth century. It is told that he was warned in a dream by an angel to take part of those relics and start to journey northwest, "towards the end of the earth." He received a sign to stop at the place now known as St. Andrews, Scotland, where Regulus built a church to hold them. Regulus was named bishop and taught the faith to the Scots for 30 years.
Relics of St. Andrew also rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. He is depicted in several places on campus, including in a statue above the door to Morrissey Manor (shown above). The chapel in the residence of Holy Cross priests on campus, Corby Hall, is named after St. Andrew.
St. Andrew, who was first to follow Jesus and to lead others to Christ—pray for us!