Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle

St. Albert the Great, a philosopher and mystic, wrote: "He who abandons everything for the love of God knows that he has left little compared to what he has found; because he finds so many goods in God that he considers everything else to be nothingness. He left his parents and finds the Lord; he left children, and he finds many spiritual children; he left material goods and finds spiritual goods; he has left men, and he finds angels."

These words are an excellent description of the life of the Apostle whose feast we are celebrating today. Saint Andrew the Apostle, because we are talking about him, abandoned everything for the love of God. And he did it "immediately." Who was this saint who is our model for how to respond to God's call?

Andrew was from Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. He lived in Capernaum. Like his older brother Peter, he was a fisherman. In the beginning he was a disciple of St. John the Baptist. He came to know Jesus when John the Baptist in the Jordan River baptized the Master of Nazareth. After this event, he approached Jesus. It was thanks to him that his brother Peter met Jesus. However, the apostles Andrew and Peter did not immediately and permanently join the group of Jesus' disciples. After their first meeting near the Jordan, they returned to Galilee to their activities. They were fishermen who did their job well. Their profession allowed them, which was not always obvious among fishermen in Palestine, to own their own boats and nets. When Jesus passed by the Sea of Galilee again, he called them a second time.

The Evangelist describes this event with the words: They immediately left their nets and followed him (cf. Mt 4:20). This word "immediately or at once" expresses a great deal in this context. The apostles Andrew and Peter were not like the rich young man who was unhappy to sell all his possessions to follow Jesus. This shows how strong the gaze of Jesus and his words must have been, that they "immediately", that is, without reflection,

or seeking advice from others and without calculation, gave up everything. They left their job, their source of income, their father and went... into the unknown. After all, they were not sure where they were going and how it would all end.

At this point, the question can be asked: would a reasonable person with an excellent job and a good family do something similar? Would he quit his job at once to venture into the unknown and follow one man? All this emphasizes their special choice by Jesus himself. The power of calling, the power of the Spirit, the power of the Word, which pierced their hearts and minds, made them called to wonderful things.

Their attitude can be compared with that of the heroes of Jesus' parable, who, in order to attain the kingdom of God, are ready without the slightest hesitation to sell everything, no matter how much they have, in order to acquire the most precious treasure, which is the kingdom of God. Close to Jesus, they will be able to experience how this kingdom of God is realized here on earth.

Andrew witnessed the miracle at Cana in Galilee and the miraculous multiplication of the loaves. Christian tradition tried to reconstruct the history of his activities after Pentecost. Origen says that saint Andrew preached the Gospel in the province of Dobruja (Scythia Minor), between the rivers Dnieper and Don. According to other messages of the Tradition of the Church, he proclaimed the Gospel of Christ in Asia Minor, that is, in the areas of today's Turkey, and from there he went to Greece, where he suffered martyrdom in Achaia. The liturgy of the Orthodox Church refers to St. Andrew with the nickname "Protokleros", which means " First Called", because next to St. John he was called first.

Today's feast of St Andrew the Apostle, who immediately left everything and followed Jesus, asks us whether we too would have enough faith and courage to "immediately" follow Jesus' call. Of course, it is not so easy.

As we can see, God who calls to follow Him "immediately" also resolves the dilemmas of the called person. That is why today the story of the calling of St. Andrew is also addressed to us. Jesus' invitation to follow Him, to live the Gospel, is also for me today. All that remains is for the word "immediately" to be realized in my life. That is why today we need to answer the question: attached to a thousand things and matters, can I leave it all to "immediately" put Jesus at the center of my life?

Until Tomorrow

fr. george