Readings & Reflections: Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, November 30,2019
In John’s Gospel, we learn that Andrew was following John the Baptist when John pointed to Jesus: “Behold the Lamb of God!” (Jn 1:36). Andrew immediately went to his brother, Simon, declaring, “We have found the Messiah” (Jn 1:41). According to Pope Benedict XVI, Andrew was “a man who was searching.” Like his brother Simon Peter, Andrew shared a special intimacy with Christ; his name always ranks high on the lists of the Apostles. From the first, Andrew is an evangelist: he sees Christ, and runs to tell his brother (cf. Jn 1:35-42). After the Resurrection and the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Andrew went to share the Good News. Tradition has him preaching the Gospel in Greece, where he suffered martyrdom at Patras. And, according to various traditions, Andrew was an evangelist to the end. Bound by ropes to a cross, he addressed the gathered crowds for two days until death took him. Thousands hearkened to his words. The Eastern Church honors Andrew with the title Protoclete, or “first-called.” Andrew is the patron of Greece, Scotland, and Russia.
AMDG+
Opening Prayer
“Lord, fill me with gratitude and generosity for all you have done for me. Take my life and all that I have as an offering of love for you, who are my All.” Amen.
Reading 1
Rom 10:9-18
Brothers and sisters:
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
The Scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
There is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone to preach?
And how can people preach unless they are sent?
As it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!
But not everyone has heeded the good news;
for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?
Thus faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
But I ask, did they not hear?
Certainly they did; for
Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.
The word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11
R. (10) The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. (John 6:63) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Gospel
Mt 4:18-22
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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection 1 – The reason Jesus called the Disciples
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent?”
This is the very reason Jesus called Simon, Andrew, James and John to active duty as He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” This is ALSO the very reason why God has been constantly knocking on the door of our hearts.
Some of us may have warmly welcomed Him after a long wait yet a number may have remained cold and indifferent to His invitation. And still there may be some of us who after long years of work for the Lord may have decided to stay away from God’s mission. They may be veterans of a lot of years or at least a lot of battles fought for the Lord. They have the wrinkles and the scars to prove it yet they have decided to place themselves on cruise control thinking, “I’ve served enough.”
There is no such thing even if we live our fullest to a great age as we will still run out of time to serve the Savior who laid down His life for us. “There is no exemption from the struggle nor are the wicked saved by their wickedness.” Ecclesiastes 8:8 And since the battle for lives rages until Jesus comes, since the struggle is on, then none of us should even desire for an honorable discharge from God’ service. Indifference and a passive attitude should never prevail in our hearts as they can lead to complacency, which in time can harden our hearts. There is still much to do for our Lord and God is calling to His service.
Today, let us open the doors of our hearts to God and proclaim the mystery of Christ to all. If we have our faith deeply imbedded in us then the words and actions of our lives should be able to bring every man closer to our God. Our faith in God can only bring us to proclaim the great difference Jesus has been in us and among us.
Let us pray that as we continue to call on the Name of our Lord, His grace and salvation will be upon all of us. Let us pray that we become not only like Simon, Andrew, James and John and be fishers of men but be a Vine Grower like our God so that we may be able to till of the hearts of people and have the wonderful privilege of planting the seed of Jesus’ love and later on harvesting the incredible joy of love and peace.
Let us not give God a chance to ask, “did they not hear?” but move accordingly and respond to His call so that He may say: “Certainly they did; for their voice has gone forth to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
Jesus is patiently waiting for us and all He has been receiving are excuses. Let us all firmly respond, Yes, Lord I come to do your will!
Direction
Let us persevere in our work for the Lord. Let our faith flow to our words and actions.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, continue to give me the grace, the strength and the wisdom to contribute my humble share in your mission of bringing all men to our Father’ kingdom. Amen.
Reflection 2 – I will make you fishers of people
What is God’s call on your life and are you ready to respond? When Jesus began his ministry he went every where he could – the streets, towns, hills and lakeside of Galilee – to speak to people about the kingdom of God. He chose as his closest friends and coworkers those who were ready to follow as his disciples and he gave them an unusual mission – “to catch people for the kingdom of God.”
Jesus chooses ordinary people to do great things for his kingdom
What kind of disciples did Jesus choose? Smelly fishermen! In the choice of the first apostles we see a characteristic feature of Jesus’ work – he chose very ordinary people. They were non-professionals, had no wealth or position of power or fame in society. They were chosen from the common people who did ordinary things, had no special marks of education, and no social advantages. Jesus wanted ordinary people who could take an assignment and do it extraordinarily well. He chose these individuals, not for what they were, but for what they would become under his direction and the power of the Holy Spirit.
When the Lord Jesus calls each of us to be his disciples, we must not think we have nothing to offer him in exchange. The Lord takes what ordinary people, like us, can offer and uses it for greatness in his kingdom. Do you believe that God wants to work in and through you for his glory?
Jesus calls each of us to bring the joy of the Gospel to those around us
Jesus speaks the same message to us today: we will “catch people” for the kingdom of God if we allow the light of Jesus Christ to shine through us. God wants others to see the light of Christ in us in the way we live, speak, and witness the joy of the Gospel. Paul the Apostles says, “But thanks be to God, who in Christ Jesus always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15). Do you show others around you the joy of the gospel and do you pray for your neighbors, co-workers, and relatives that they may come to personally know the Lord Jesus Christ and grow in the knowledge of his love?
“Lord Jesus, you have called me personally by name, just as you called your first disciples, Simon, Andrew, and James. Fill me with the joy of your gospel and help me to be a good and faithful witness of your kingdom to all I meet.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/nov30.htm
Reflection 3 – Evangelizing our families
In today’s Gospel reading, we see Jesus calling people into apostleship. Saint Andrew was the first Apostle (see John 1:40-42), and although he would later lead many others to Christ, he started with his brother, Simon (who became Peter our first pope).
The most difficult people to evangelize are usually our own family members. We’re too close. We care so much about them that we’re too hard on them. And since they knew us before our conversion, we don’t have much credibility.
Apostleship means being sent forth to do whatever God calls us to do, and whatever he calls us to do he gifts us, enables us, and empowers us to do. Romans 10:9-18 describes why God gives us apostolates: The message must go out! And it describes our importance: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!
If we each fulfill our part in the Body of Christ – together – the voice of Jesus goes out to all the earth and our words (his words) reach to the ends of the world. However, not enough of us are accepting our call to apostleship.
As baptized members of Christ’s Body, we all have apostolates. And it starts in our homes. We could be the best evangelizers in the world or the best at what we’re gifted to do, but if we can’t bring Jesus to our families, something’s wrong. Our priorities are out of order or we’re a bad example of what it means to be Christian.
Being good apostles and terrific evangelizers does not mean that we’re going to be successful at changing the hearts and minds of family members. “Not everyone has heeded the good news.” But it’s at home where we’re challenged to grow. It’s at home where we learn to love others unconditionally. It’s at home where we become good at forgiving. And it’s at home where we’re tested and strengthened in serving others without complaining or resentment.
Being an apostle at home does not mean preaching conversion and debating the need to go to Mass. To be effective apostles for our families, our first priority must always be to purify ourselves and keep growing spiritually.
Then, we can show them what Christ is really like by giving them persistent, unconditional, undeserved love. We can evangelize them by treating them the way Christ wants to treat them.
And when they ask questions and show an openness to learning from us, then we can evangelize through words.
How well do you imitate Jesus when you’re with family? Consider every interaction as an opportunity for them to meet Jesus, even if they stubbornly refuse to recognize him in you. If you’re a good reflection of Jesus, eventually, this will make a difference. Maybe not as fast as you’d like, but this hardship will help you grow more fully into the image of Christ if you truly want to live the Good News that we proclaim (Source: Terry A. Modica, Good News Ministries http://gnm.org/good-news-reflections/?useDrDate=2016-11-30).
Reflection 4 – How lovely are smelly feet and fish!
My feet are beautiful! If you were to see them, you might not think so, and if you were to look very-very close after I’ve been walking around in the Florida heat in my sneakers, your nose would definitely think not think so! But today’s first reading says, “How lovely are the feet of those who bring good news!”
This is the theme scripture for Good News Ministries. When my husband Ralph and I were founding this ministry in 1995, the Enemy thought my feet were getting too beautiful, so walking down the stairs became a real challenge. I sprained my ankle. After that healed, I walked into a corner of the wall and broke two toes. Sheesh!
Did you know that the Armor of God includes protection for our feet? Ephesians 6:15 says that our feet are covered by the sandals of the Gospel of peace. It doesn’t seem logical that sandals would do much protecting. I prefer Army boots. But neither does preaching the “Gospel of peace” seem to offer much protection. In fact, sharing our Christian faith seems to automatically paint a bulls-eye target onto our shirts.
The Enemy can’t stand looking at our beautiful feet, and if its efforts fail to deter us from spreading the Good News, it closes its eyes in horror. When I kept walking forward in the plan to build Good News Ministries, my feet stopped getting hurt.
Later came other temptations to quit. Instead of broken toes, I suffered a broken heart. From more than one person. And for many years, in some cases. I’ve clearly heard the Enemy’s advice: “If you quit doing that ministry, everything will be alright again.” But I absolutely refuse to quit — for your sake.
The biggest attacks have occurred during very important events in my ministry, so now I ask for prayer coverage from a team of Prayer Warriors — and I dig my heels in deeper with stronger determination to do what I am called to do.
I do not confide this to you for the sake of getting sympathy. Rather, it is to embolden you to dig in your heels, too. If you’re tripping over obstacles in your ministry, or if you’re stubbing your toes on your journey toward heaven, keep going. Don’t stop. Your feet will heal and you will become more closely united to Christ.
When Jesus gathered his team and built up his community of disciples in today’s Gospel reading, he gave them the vocation of “fishers of men, women and children”. He continues to give all of his disciples (you’re one of them, with me!) this same calling. And just like fishing for fish, the job can get quite smelly. Fish stink. The more dead they are, the worse they stink. So, too, the people who are spiritually dead. Jesus never said he’d make the fishing pier smell like a rose garden.
Isn’t it interesting that we don’t mind the smell when a fish gets hooked and we’re reeling in the catch. The stink is not the calling. The stink is only a smell. And how beautiful your feet have become! -Read the source: http://gnm.org/good-news-reflections/?useDrDate=2017-11-30
The Good News must go out! This is my calling and yours. It’s the mission of all Christians. Your prayer support helps, but during our annual end-of-year fundraiser, if at all possible, please thank God for Good News Ministries by making a sacrifice for the sake of others who need the Good News. Everything at Good News Ministries is made available free, but we can only continue because of those who champion the Good News with free will donations. (gnm.org/donate.)
Reflection 5 – Learning To Fish
He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” –Matthew 4:19
Thomas Boston, a young minister and fly fisherman from Scotland, wrote this in his diary in 1699: “Reading in secret, my heart was touched with Matthew 4:19, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ My soul cried out for the accomplishing of that to me, and I was very desirous to know how I might follow Christ, so as to be a fisher of men.”
Boston later wrote a booklet titled, A Soliloquy on the Art of Man Fishing, in which he spelled out what he learned about soul-winning by following the Master Angler. He pointed out that the habits of fish and the habits of sinners are often quite similar.
I am an avid fisherman, and I have worked our Idaho trout streams many times. I agree with Boston that catching fish and winning souls are very much alike. But analogy can only take us so far. The best way to become an effective “fisher of men” is simply to follow Jesus.
For us that means watching how the Master “fished” and then imitating Him. It involves reading the Scriptures and lingering over His words and deeds, learning how He “caught souls.” Then we must cry out, as Thomas Boston did, and ask Jesus to make us like Him—great “fishers of men.” — David H. Roper
Keeping in step with the Savior,
Living a life that is true,
Clearly let’s sound out a witness,
Proving what God’s grace can do. —Bosch
If you’re not fishing for souls, you are not following the Savior (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).
Reflection 6 – A New Career
Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. —Matthew 4:22
For some guys, the annual fishing trip is the highlight of their calendar. They stay in cozy cabins and spend long days fishing just for the fun of it. You can be sure it wasn’t that way for the disciples. They weren’t on vacation when they met Jesus. Fishing was their career.
Our careers often demand much of our time and attention. But Jesus has an interesting way of interrupting our business-as-usual agenda. In fact, He invites us to join His business.
Notice the sequence of His statement to the fishermen: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). We are tempted to think that we should make something of our lives and at the same time follow Jesus. Wrong! He calls us first to follow Him, and then He makes something of our lives. He leads us to prioritize so that we see the needs of people and their eternity as the goal of all our endeavors.
And while God may not require you to give up your career, following Him will guarantee that you will never see your career in the same way again. Where you “fish” is not important. But if you follow, you must fish.
What are you waiting for? Drop your nets, follow Him, and let Him make something of your life. — Joe Stowell
“Take up your cross,” the Savior said,
“If you would My disciple be;
Take up your cross with willing heart
And humbly follow after Me.” —Everest
Drop your nets and follow Jesus (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).
Reflection 7 – Follow The Right Leader
Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. –Matthew 4:19
Follow me!” That was the invitation given by Marshall Applewhite, self-appointed leader of the Heaven’s Gate cult. He promised to those who would become his disciples that he would teach them how they could move on to a higher level of life in a new world. Sincere but gullible men and women heeded his call. They left families, friends, homes, and jobs to live and work together and to obey their leader’s teachings.
Those 38 disciples followed him even when he told them to commit suicide. He said they would be liberated from terrestrial bondage and enter into an exalted state of being. In March 1997 they followed their leader to death and eternal loss.
The true Leader, Jesus Christ, gives the invitation, “Follow Me” (Mt. 4:19). But He is the opposite of Marshall Applewhite. After Jesus’ death on Calvary’s cross, He arose from the grave and is alive forevermore (Mt. 28:6; Rev. 1:18). When we respond to His call to follow Him as our Savior, our Master, our Lord, He forgives all our sins (Col. 2:13) and promises an abundant life of joy and hope (Jn. 10:10). And someday we will live with Him eternally in the glory of heaven (1 Jn. 5:11-13).
Be sure to follow the right Leader! — Vernon C. Grounds
Controlling other people’s lives
Is not a godly leader’s trait;
But serving other people’s needs
Is what the Lord considers great. –Sper
Many leaders have risen to greatness; only Jesus has risen from the grave (Source: Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries).
Reflection 8 – The graces of the Apostle Andrew
“Andrew was the first to become an Apostle. It was he who opened the gates of Christ’s teaching. He was the first to gather the fruits cultivated by the prophets, and he surpassed the hopes of all by being the first to embrace the one awaited by all….
“Having recognized the prophet foretold by the prophets, Andrew led his brother to the one he had found. To Peter, who was still in ignorance, he revealed the treasure: We have found the Messiah for whom we were longing. How many sleepless nights we spent beside the waters of the Jordan, and now we have found the one for whom we longed! Nor was Peter slow when he heard these words, for he was Andrew’ brother. He listened attentively, then hastened with great eagerness.
“Taking Peter with him, Andrew brought his brother to the Lord, thus making his fellow-disciple. This was Andrew’s first achievement: he increased the number of the Apostles by bringing Peter to Christ, so that Christ might find in him the disciples’ leader. When later on Peter won approval, it was thanks to the seed sown by Andrew. But the commendation given to the one redounded to the other, for the virtues of each belonged to both, and each was proud of the other’s merits….
“By prompting Peter, the Father endorsed from above the words Andrew used when he led Peter to Christ. Andrew had said: We have found the Messiah. The Father said, prompting Peter: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, almost forcing these words on Peter. “Peter,” he said, “when you are questioned, used Andrew’s words in reply. Show yourself very prompt in answering your master. Andrew did not lie to you when he said: We have found the Messiah. Turn the Hebrew words into Greek and cry out: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. (St. Basil the Great, +379 A.D., Magnificat, Vol. 20, No. 9, November 2018, pp. 421-422)
Reflection 9 – St. Andrew, the Apostle
Andrew was St. Peter’s brother, and was called with him. “As [Jesus] was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is now 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” (Matthew 4:18-20).
John the Evangelist presents Andrew as a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus walked by one day, John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus. “Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come, and you will see.’ So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day” (John 1:38-39a).
Little else is said about Andrew in the Gospels. Before the multiplication of the loaves, it was Andrew who spoke up about the boy who had the barley loaves and fishes (see John 6:8-9). When the Gentiles went to see Jesus, they came to Philip, but Philip then had recourse to Andrew (see John 12:20-22).
Legend has it that Andrew preached the Good News in what is now modern Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras.
Story:
“…[T]he Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word’” (Acts of the Apostles 6:2–4).
Comment:
As in the case of all the apostles except Peter and John, the Gospels give us little about the holiness of Andrew. He was an apostle. That is enough. He was called personally by Jesus to proclaim the Good News, to heal with Jesus’ power and to share his life and death. Holiness today is no different. It is a gift that includes a call to be concerned about the Kingdom, an outgoing attitude that wants nothing more than to share the riches of Christ with all people.
Quote:
Patron Saint of: Fishermen, Greece, Russia, Scotland
Read the source: http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1215
SAINT OF THE DAY
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| ANDREW THE APOSTLE | |
|---|---|
Saint Andrew the Apostle by Artus Wolffort
|
|
| APOSTLE | |
| BORN | Early 1st century Galilee,Roman Empire |
| DIED | Mid- to late 1st century Patras, Achaia, Roman Empire |
| VENERATED IN | All of Christianity |
| CANONIZED | Apostolic age by Pre-congregation |
| FEAST | 30 November |
| ATTRIBUTES | Old man with long white hair and beard, holding the Gospel Book or scroll, sometimes leaning on a saltire |
| PATRONAGE | Scotland, Barbados, Ukraine,Russia, Sicily, Greece, Cyprus,Romania, Patras, Diocese of Parañaque, City of Manila,[1]Amalfi, Luqa (Malta) andPrussia; Diocese of Victoria; fishermen, fishmongers and rope-makers |
Andrew the Apostle (Greek: Ἀνδρέας, Andreas; from the early 1st century – mid to late 1st century AD), also known as Saint Andrewand called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos(Πρωτόκλητος) or the First-called, was a ChristianApostle and the brother of Saint Peter.[2]
The name “Andrew” (Greek: manly, brave, from ἀνδρεία, Andreia, “manhood, valour”), like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews, Christians, and other Hellenized people of the region. No Hebrew orAramaic name is recorded for him. According to Orthodox tradition, the apostolic successor to Saint Andrew isPatriarch Bartholomew I.[3]
Contents
[hide]
Life[edit]
The New Testament states that Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter,[4] by which it is inferred that he was likewise a son of John, or Jonah. He was born in the village of Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. Both he and his brother Peter were fishermen by trade, hence the tradition that Jesus called them to be his disciples by saying that he will make them “fishers of men” (Greek: ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων, halieĩs anthrōpōn).[5] At the beginning of Jesus’ public life, they were said to have occupied the same house at Capernaum.
In Matthew’s Gospel (Matt 4:18-22) and in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 1:16-20) Simon Peter and Andrew were both called together to become disciples of Jesus and “fishers of men”. These narratives record that Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, observed Simon and Andrew fishing, and called them to discipleship.
In the parallel incident in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 5:1-11) Andrew is not named, nor is reference made to Simon having a brother. In this narrative, Jesus initially used a boat, solely described as being Simon’s, as a platform for preaching to the multitudes on the shore and then as a means to achieving a huge trawl of fish on a night which had hitherto proved fruitless. The narrative indicates that Simon was not the only fisherman in the boat (they signaled to their partners in the other boat … (Luke 5:7)) but it is not until the next chapter (Luke 6:14) that Andrew is named as Simon’s brother. However, it is generally understood that Andrew was fishing with Simon on the night in question. Matthew Poole, in his Annotations on the Holy Bible, stressed that ‘Luke denies not that Andrew was there’.
In contrast, the Gospel of John (John 1:35-42) states that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, whose testimony first led him, and another unnamed disciple of John the Baptist, to follow Jesus. Andrew at once recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and hastened to introduce him to his brother.[6] Thenceforth, the two brothers were disciples of Christ. On a subsequent occasion, prior to the final call to the Apostolate, they were called to a closer companionship, and then they left all things to follow Jesus.
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Subsequently in the gospels, Andrew is referred to as being present on some important occasions as one of the disciples more closely attached to Jesus.[7] Andrew told Jesus about the boy with the loaves and fishes (John 6:8), and when Philipwanted to tell Jesus about certain Greeks seeking Him, he told Andrew first (John 12:20-22). Andrew was present at theLast Supper.[8]
Crucifixion of St. Andrew, by Juan Correa de Vivar(1540 – 1545).
Eusebius in his church history 3,1 quoted Origen as saying that Andrew preached in Scythia. The Chronicle of Nestor adds that he preached along the Black Sea and the Dnieper river as far as Kiev, and from there he traveled to Novgorod. Hence, he became a patron saint ofUkraine, Romania and Russia. According to tradition, he founded the See of Byzantium(later Constantinople and Istanbul) in AD 38, installing Stachys as bishop. According toHippolytus of Rome, he preached in Thrace, and his presence in Byzantium is also mentioned in the apocryphal Acts of Andrew, written in the 2nd century; Basil of Seleuciaalso knew of Apostle Andrew’s mission in Thrace, as well as Scythia and Achaia.[9] This diocese would later develop into the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Andrew, along with Saint Stachys, is recognized as the patron saint of the Patriarchate.[10]
Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras (Patræ) in Achaea, on the northern coast of thePeloponnese. Early texts, such as the Acts of Andrew known to Gregory of Tours,[11]describe Andrew as bound, not nailed, to a Latin cross of the kind on which Jesus is said to have been crucified; yet a tradition developed that Andrew had been crucified on a cross of the form called Crux decussata (X-shaped cross, or “saltire”), now commonly known as a “Saint Andrew’s Cross” — supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been.[12]“The familiar iconography of his martyrdom, showing the apostle bound to an X-shaped cross, does not seem to have been standardized before the later Middle Ages,” Judith Calvert concluded after re-examining the materials studied by Louis Réau.[13]
The Acts of Andrew[edit]
The apocryphal Acts of Andrew, mentioned by Eusebius, Epiphaniusand others, is among a disparate group of Acts of the Apostles that were traditionally attributed to Leucius Charinus. “These Acts (…) belong to the third century: ca. A.D. 260,” in the opinion of M. R. James, who edited them in 1924. The Acts, as well as aGospel of St Andrew, appear among rejected books in the Decretum Gelasianumconnected with the name of Pope Gelasius I. The Acts of Andrew was edited and published by Constantin von Tischendorf in the Acta Apostolorum apocrypha (Leipzig, 1821), putting it for the first time into the hands of a critical professional readership. Another version of the Andrew legend is found in the Passio Andreae, published by Max Bonnet (Supplementum II Codicis apocryphi, Paris, 1895).
Relics[edit]
Saint Andrew of Patras cathedral, where St. Andrew’s relics are kept
Statue of Andrew in theArchbasilica of St. John Lateran byCamillo Rusconi.
Relics of the Apostle Andrew are kept at the Basilica of St Andrew in Patras, Greece; the Duomo di Sant’Andrea, Amalfi,Italy; St Mary’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland;[6] and the Church of St Andrew and St Albert, Warsaw,Poland. There are also numerous smaller reliquaries throughout the world.
Andrew’s remains were preserved at Patras. According to one legend, St. Regulus (Rule) was a monk at Patras, who was advised in a dream to hide some of the bones. Shortly thereafter, most of the relics were translated from Patras toConstantinople by order of the Roman emperor Constantius II around 357 and deposited in the Church of the Holy Apostles.[8]
Regulus was said to have had a second dream in which an angel advised him to take the hidden relics “to the ends of the earth” for protection. Wherever he was shipwrecked, he was to build a shrine for them. St. Rule set sail, taking with him a kneecap, an upper arm bone, three fingers and a tooth. He sailed west, towards the edge of the known world, and was shipwrecked on the coast of Fife, Scotland. However, the relics were probably brought to Britain in 597 as part of the Augustine Mission, and then in 732 to Fife, by Bishop Acca of Hexham, a well-known collector of religious relics.[6]
The skull of St. Andrew, which had been taken to Constantinople, was returned to Patras by Emperor Basil I, who ruled from 867 to 886.[14]
In 1208, following the sack of Constantinople, those relics of St. Andrew and St. Peter which remained in the imperial city were taken to Amalfi, Italy,[15] by Cardinal Peter of Capua, a native of Amalfi. A cathedral (Duomo), was built, dedicated to St. Andrew (as is the town itself), to house a tomb in its crypt where it is maintained that most of the relics of the apostle, including an occipital bone, remain.
Thomas Palaeologus was the youngest surviving son of Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos. Thomas ruled the province of Morea, the medieval name for the Peloponnese. In 1461, when the Ottomans crossed the Strait of Corinth, Palaeologus fled Patras for exile in Italy, bringing with him what was purported to be the skull of St. Andrew. He gave the head to Pope Pius II, who had it enshrined in one of the four central piers of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.
In September 1964, Pope Paul VI, as a gesture of goodwill toward the Greek Orthodox Church, ordered that all of the relics of St. Andrew that were in Vatican City be sent back to Patras. Cardinal Augustin Bea along with many other cardinals presented the skull to Bishop Constantine of Patras on 24 September 1964.[16] The cross of St. Andrew was taken from Greece during the Crusades by the Duke of Burgundy.[17][18] It was kept in the church of St. Victor in Marseilles[19] until it returned to Patras on 19 January 1980. The cross of the apostle was presented to the Bishop of Patras Nicodemus by a Catholic delegation led by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray. All the relics, which consist of the small finger, the skull (part of the top of the cranium of Saint Andrew), and the cross on which he was martyred, have been kept in the Church of St. Andrewat Patras in a special shrine and are revered in a special ceremony every 30 November, his feast day.
In 2006, the Catholic Church, again through Cardinal Etchegaray, gave the Greek Orthodox Church another relic of St. Andrew.[20]
Traditions and legends[edit]
Georgia[edit]
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A 13th-century fresco depicting St. Andrew from Kintsvisi, Georgia.
The church tradition of Georgia regards St. Andrew as the first preacher of Christianity in the territory of Georgia and as the founder of the Georgian church. This tradition was apparently derived from the Byzantine sources, particularly Nicetas of Paphlagonia (died c. 890) who asserts that “Andrew preached to the Iberians, Sauromatians, Taurians, and Scythians and to every region and city, on the Black Sea, both north and south.”[21] The version was adopted by the 10th-11th-century Georgian ecclesiastics and, refurbished with more details, was inserted in the Georgian Chronicles. The story of St. Andrew’s mission in the Georgian lands endowed the Georgian church with apostolic origin and served as a defense argument to George the Hagiorite against the encroachments from the Antiochian church authorities on autocephaly of the Georgian church. Another Georgian monk, Ephraim the Minor, produced a thesis, reconciling St. Andrew’s story with an earlier evidence of the 4th-century conversion of Georgians by St. Nino and explaining the necessity of the “second Christening” by Nino. The thesis was made canonical by the Georgian church council in 1103.[22][23] The Georgian Orthodox Church marks two feast days in honor of St. Andrew, on 12 May and 13 December. The former date, dedicated to St. Andrew’s arrival in Georgia, is a public holiday in Georgia.
Cyprus[edit]
Cypriot tradition holds that a ship which was transporting Saint Andrew went off course and ran aground. Upon coming ashore, Andrew struck the rocks with his staff at which point a spring of healing waters gushed forth. Using it, the sight of the ship’s captain, who had been blind in one eye, was restored. Thereafter, the site became a place of pilgrimage and a fortified monastery stood there in the 12th century, from which Isaac Comnenus negotiated his surrender to Richard the Lionheart. In the 15th century, a small chapel was built close to the shore. The main monastery of the current church dates to the 18th century.
Other pilgrimages are more recent. The story is told that in 1895, the son of a Maria Georgiou was kidnapped. Seventeen years later, Saint Andrew appeared to her in a dream, telling her to pray for her son’s return at the monastery. Living in Anatolia, she embarked on the crossing to Cyprus on a very crowded boat. As she was telling her story during the journey, one of the passengers, a young Dervish priest, became more and more interested. Asking if her son had any distinguishing marks, he stripped off his clothes to reveal the same marks and mother and son were thus reunited.[24]
Apostolos Andreas Monastery (Greek: Απόστολος Ανδρέας) is a monastery dedicated to Saint Andrew situated just south of Cape Apostolos Andreas, which is the north-easternmost point of the island of Cyprus, in Rizokarpason in the Karpass Peninsula. The monastery is an important site to the Cypriot Orthodox Church. It was once known as ‘the Lourdes of Cyprus’, served not by an organized community of monks but by a changing group of volunteer priests and laymen. Both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities consider the monastery a holy place. As such, it is visited by many people for votive prayers.
Malta[edit]
Fifth-century mosaic of St. Andrew at St. Paul Outside the Walls, Rome
The first reference regards the small chapel at Luqa dedicated to Andrew dates to 1497. This chapel contained three altars, one of them dedicated to Andrew. The painting showing “Mary with Saints Andrew and Paul” was painted by the Maltese artist Filippo Dingli. At one time, many fishermen lived in the village of Luqa, and this may be the main reason for choosing Andrew as patron saint. The statue of Andrew was sculpted in wood by Giuseppe Scolaro in 1779. This statue underwent several restoration works including that of 1913 performed by the Maltese artist Abraham Gatt. The Martyrdom of Saint Andrew on the main altar of the church was painted by Mattia Preti in 1687.
Romania[edit]
The consecration of the monument inDonetsk after St. Andrew
The official stance of the Romanian Orthodox Church is that Andrew preached the Gospel in the province of Dobruja (Scythia Minor) to the Daco-Romans, whom he is said to have converted to Christianity. This theory is based in part on some ancient Christian symbols found carved in a cave near Murfatlar and in historical sources.[clarification needed]
Hippolyte of Antioch, (died c. 250 C.E.) in his On Apostles, Origen in the third book of his Commentaries on the Genesis (254 C.E.), Eusebius of Caesarea in his Church History (340 C.E.), and other sources, such as Usaard’s Martyrdom written between 845-865, and Jacobus de Voragine’s Golden Legend (c. 1260), Saint Andrew preached in Scythia Minor. There are toponyms and numerous very old traditions (like carols) related to Saint Andrew, many of them having probably a pre-Christian substratum.
According to some modern Romanian scholars, the idea of early Christianisation is unsustainable. They take the idea to be a part of an ideology of protochronism which purports that the Orthodox Church has been a companion and defender of the Romanian people for its entire history, which was then used for propaganda purposes during the communist era,[25]although this is disputed.
Kiev Rus and its Ukrainian and Russian successors[edit]
St Andrew’s prophecy of Kiev depicted in Radzivill Chronicle.
Tradition regarding the early Christian history of Ukraine holds that the apostle Andrew preached on the southern borders of modern-day Ukraine, along the Black Sea. Legend has it that he travelled up the Dnieper River and reached the future location of Kiev, where he erected a cross on the site where the Saint Andrew’s Church of Kievcurrently stands, and where he prophesied the foundation of a great Christian city.[26]
It was in the obvious interest of Kievan Rus’ and its later Ukrainian and Russian successors, striving in numerous ways to link themselves with the political and religious heritage of Byzantium, to claim such a direct visit from the famous. Claiming direct lineage from St. Andrew also had the effect of disregarding any theological leanings of Greek Orthodoxy over which disagreement arose, since the actual “indirect” proselytising via Byzantium was bypassed altogether. Still, as the same source quotes, Andrew only preached to the southern shore of the Black Sea (current Turkey).[citation needed]
Scotland[edit]
The Saltire (or “St. Andrew’s Cross”) is the national flag of Scotland
Several legends state that the relics of Andrew were brought by divine guidance from Constantinople to the place where the modern town of St Andrews stands today (Gaelic, Cill Rìmhinn). The oldest surviving manuscripts are two: one is among the manuscripts collected by Jean-Baptiste Colbert and willed to Louis XIV of France, now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, the other is the Harleian Mss in the British Library, London. They state that the relics of Andrew were brought by oneRegulus to the Pictish king Óengus mac Fergusa (729–761). The only historical Regulus (Riagail or Rule) whose name is preserved in the tower of St Rule was an Irish monk expelled from Ireland with Saint Columba; his dates, however, are c 573 – 600. There are good reasons for supposing that the relics were originally in the collection of Acca, bishop of Hexham, who took them into Pictish country when he was driven from Hexham (c. 732), and founded a see, not, according to tradition, inGalloway, but on the site of St Andrews.
St. Andrew, carving c.1500 in the National Museum of Scotland
According to legend, in 832 AD, Óengus II led an army of Picts and Scots into battle against the Angles, led by Æthelstan, near modern-day Athelstaneford, East Lothian. The legend states that he was heavily outnumbered and hence whilst engaged in prayer on the eve of battle, Óengus vowed that if granted victory he would appoint Saint Andrew as the Patron Saint of Scotland. On the morning of battle white clouds forming an X shape in the sky were said to have appeared. Óengus and his combined force, emboldened by this apparent divine intervention, took to the field and despite being inferior in numbers were victorious. Having interpreted the cloud phenomenon as representing the crux decussataupon which Saint Andrew was crucified, Óengus honoured his pre-battle pledge and duly appointed Saint Andrew as the Patron Saint of Scotland. The white saltire set against a celestial blue background is said to have been adopted as the design of the flag of Scotland on the basis of this legend.[27] However, there is evidence that Andrew was venerated in Scotland before this.
Traditional stone fireplace in northern England. The carved St. Andrew’s cross in the left hand wooden post was to prevent witches from flying down the chimney, Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton-le-Hole.
Andrew’s connection with Scotland may have been reinforced following the Synod of Whitby, when the Celtic Church felt that Columba had been “outranked” by Peter and that Peter’s brother would make a higher ranking patron. The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath cites Scotland’s conversion to Christianity by Andrew, “the first to be an Apostle”. Numerous parish churches in the Church of Scotland and congregations of other Christian churches in Scotland are named after Andrew. The national church of the Scottish people in Rome,Sant’Andrea degli Scozzesi is dedicated to St Andrew.
A local superstition uses the cross of Saint Andrew as a hex sign on the fireplaces in northern England and Scotland to prevent witchesfrom flying down the chimney and entering the house to do mischief. By placing the St Andrew’s cross on one of the fireplaceposts or lintels, witches are prevented from entering through this opening. In this case, it is similar to the use of a witch ball, although the cross will actively prevent witches from entering, and the witch ball will passively delay or entice the witch, and perhaps entrap it.
Legacy[edit]
Saint Andrew the Apostle by Yoan from Gabrovo, 19th century
Andrew is the patron saint of several countries and cities including: Barbados, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Ukraine, Amalfi inItaly, Esgueira in Portugal, Luqa in Malta, Parañaque in the Philippines and Patras in Greece. He was also the patron saint of Prussia and of the Order of the Golden Fleece. He is considered the founder and the first bishop of the Church ofByzantium and is consequently the patron saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The flag of Scotland (and consequently the Union Flag and those of some of its former colonies) feature St Andrew’s saltirecross. The saltire is also the flag of Tenerife, the former flag of Galicia and the naval jack of Russia. The Confederate flagalso features a saltire commonly referred to as a St Andrew’s cross, although its designer, William Porcher Miles, said he changed it from an upright cross to a saltire so that it would not be a religious symbol but merely a heraldic device. TheFlorida and Alabama flags also show that device.
The feast of Andrew is observed on 30 November in both the Eastern and Western churches, and is the national day of Scotland. In the traditional liturgical books of the Catholic Church, the feast of St. Andrew is the first feast day in the Proper of Saints.
St Andrew’s Cathedral, Patras is named after the apostle.
See also[edit]
 |
- Order of Saint Andrew
- Patron saints of places
- Saltire – the X-shaped cross in heraldry and vexillology
- Santo André — an industrial town in Brazil
- St. Andrew’s College (Ontario), an all-boys independent school in Ontario, Canada named after St. Andrew. On the driveway to the main building, there is the St. Andrew statue
- St. Andrew’s Cross – disambiguation page.
- St. Andrew’s Day
- Universidad de San Andrés — Argentina, named after the saint
- University of St Andrews — named after the Royal Burgh of St Andrews, which was named after the saint
Notes[edit]
- Jump up^ Etravel Pilipinas. “Philippine Heroes: Gat Andres Bonifacio y de Castro”. Etravel Pilipinas. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- Jump up^ “St Andrew”.
- Jump up^ Apostolic Succession of the Great Church of Christ, Ecumenical Patriarchate, retrieved 2 Aug 2014[dead link]
- Jump up^ Butler, Alban. The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints, Vol. III
- Jump up^ Metzger & Coogan (1993) Oxford Companion to the Bible, p 27.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c “National Shrine to St Andrew in Edinburgh Scotland”. Stmaryscathedral.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- Jump up^ Mark 13:3; John 6:8, 12:22; but in Acts there is only one mention of him.1:13
- ^ Jump up to:a b “MacRory, Joseph. “St. Andrew.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 29 Oct. 2012″. Newadvent.org. 1907-03-01. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- Jump up^ Ferguson, Everett. Encyclopedia of early Christianity, p. 51.
- Jump up^ http://www.patriarchate.org/home
- Jump up^ In Monumenta Germaniae Historica II, cols. 821-847, translated in M.R. James,The Apocryphal New Testament (Oxford) reprinted 1963:369.
- Jump up^ The legends surrounding Andrew are discussed in F. Dvornik, “The Idea of Apostolicity in Byzantium and the Legend of the Apostle Andrew”, Dumbarton Oaks Studies, IV (Cambridge) 1958.
- Jump up^ Judith Calvert, “The Iconography of the St. Andrew Auckland Cross”, The Art Bulletin 66.4 (December 1984:543-555) p. 545, note 12; according to Louis Réau,Iconographie de l’art chrétien III.1 (Paris) 1958:79, St. Andrew’s Cross appeared for the first time in the tenth century, but did not become an iconographic standard before the seventeenth. Calvert was unable to find a sculptural representation of Andrew on the saltire cross earlier than an architectural capital from Quercy, of the early twelfth century.
- Jump up^ Christodoulou, Alexandros. “St. Andrew, Christ’s First-Called Disciple”,Pemptousia
- Jump up^ National Archives of Scotland (2011-11-23). “St. Andrew in the National Archives of Scotland”. Nas.gov.uk. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- Jump up^ Reception of the precious skull of St. Andrew (in Greek)
- Jump up^ “La croix de Saint André”. Vexil.prov.free.fr. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- Jump up^ Charlotte Denoël. Saint André: culte et iconographie en France (Ve -XVe siècles). Paris : École nationale des chartes, 2004
- Jump up^ “Abbaye Saint-Victor de Marseille, monuments historiques en France (in French)”. Monumentshistoriques.free.fr. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- Jump up^ Relic of St. Andrew Given to Greek Orthodox Church. Zenit News Agency (via Zenit.org). Published: 27 February 2006.
- Jump up^ Peterson, Peter Megill (1958), Andrew, Brother of Simon Peter: His History and Legends, p. 20. E. J. Brill
- Jump up^ Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), Studies in Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts, p. 433. Peeters Publishers, ISBN 90-429-1318-5
- Jump up^ Djobadze, Wachtang Z., “Materials for the Study of Georgian Monasteries in the Western Environs of Antioch on the Orontes”, pp. 82-83. Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, vol. 372, subsidia 48. Louvain, 1976.
- Jump up^ “Apostolos Andreas Monastery, Karpaz, North Cyprus”. Whatson-northcyprus.com. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- Jump up^ Stan, Lavinia and Turcescu, Lucian. Religion and Politics in Post-Communist Romania, Oxford University Press, 2007, p.48
- Jump up^ Lytvynchuk, Janna. St. Andrew’s Church