come after me

Romans 10:9-18; Ps 10 Your words, Lord, are SPirit and Life; Mt 4:18-22

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Apostle Andrew, the second in the list of the twelve to be called, according to Matthew and Luke, and the brother of Peter.


According to Matthew's gospel, Jesus calls Peter and Andrew simultaneously, while they were casting the net into the sea.

I would like to direct your attention to the fact that Jesus calls these future apostles while they were working, earning their bread by the sweat of their brow.

This is so very important for us. The encounter with God we often hope for and look for in our life will often comes in the midst of the daily grind, while at work.

God comes to us where we spend most of our lives, at work. It was at work that Andrew heard from the lips of JEsus, "Come after me." Listen carefully, for it is there we too shall hear the invitation to transform our world from making a living to making a life.

What do we know about this apostle, Andrew.

We believe that he was crucified ona cross the shape of an X in Patras, Greece.
According to the gospel of John, he was a disicple of John the Baptist and it is through the John the Baptist that he was stirred to be and stay with Jesus.

During the multiplication of the loaves for the 5000, it was ANdrew who pointed out the boy with five loaves and two fish. Andrew recognized that the small amount the boy had was insufficient for such alarge crowd but noentheless he brought to Jesus to see what He could do with it.

Jesus of course utilized this minimal resource to bring about an extravagant transformation. Andrew was unfraid to take what little was available and bring it to Jesus so that he may do what he desired with it.

It was Andrew and Philip who brought some greek speakers to Jesus for a chance at a conversation and it was in this conversation that Jesus gives one of the most quoted passages from scripture, "unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit."

Perhaps it was this conversation that gave Andrew the strength to follw Christ in giving his life for the sake of the gospel and thus being crucified on the cross the shape of the X.

Our own crosses in life acquire value if we consider them and accept them as part of the Cross of Christ, if a reflection of his light illuminates them. It is by the cross of Christ alone that our sufferings too are enobled and acquire true meaning. It is when we become like the One who is the wheat that falls to the gound then fruit shall be produced by the life we live.

We read from the letter to the Romans "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 vocie has gone forth to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."

The life of the Saints continue to spread the message and thus faith is born by the word that comes form the faith they lived.

May it be so with us.