St. Andrew was one of two disciples (the other being St. Phillip) who were followers of St. John the Baptist. St. John, while baptizing, saw Jesus and said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard this, they began to follow Jesus. Andrew then told his brother Simon (Peter), “We have found the Messiah,” and he led Simon to Jesus. Thus, St. Andrew has been aptly referred to as “The Introducer.”
St. Andrew is also mentioned when Jesus was on the hillside preaching to the crowds. When Jesus saw the great crowd, he asked St. Phillip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” St. Phillip responded, “Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” St. Andrew said, “Here is a boy, with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” It proved to be sufficient to feed all those present.
The Greeks refer to St. Andrew as the “Protoclete,” which translated means “first called.” He is greatly revered in the Byzantine Church and, as tradition has it, he preached the Gospel in Greece. He was crucified in Patras in about the year 60 on an X-shaped cross, now known as the cross of St. Andrew.
It is true that St. Andrew and the other Apostles were called to holiness. Let’s not forget that we, too, are invited into the same holiness … which is a gift that includes a call to be singularly concerned about the Kingdom, an outgoing attitude that wants nothing more than to share the riches of Christ with all people.
Let us pray. “We humbly ask you, O Lord, that, just as the Apostle St. Andrew was for your early Church a preacher, messenger, and pastor, so he may be for us a constant intercessor and guide. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you for ever and ever. Amen.”
