Nov-30: Feast of the Apostle St. Andrew
Nov-30: Feast of the Apostle St. Andrew
Advent always begins on the Sunday closest to November 30th, the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle. Coincidence? May not be ... if you know about the first Apostle St Andrew.
St. Andrew (Greek ἀνδρεία for manly or brave) was born between 5 and 10 AD in Bethsaida in Galilee, a fisherman by trade, and a former disciple of John the Baptist.
He was with John the Baptist, his master, when he (and another unnamed disciple) heard John say: "Lo! Behold the Lamb of God" (Jn 1: 36) "... they saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day..." (Jn 1: 37-39).
After this encounter with Jesus, Andrew could not rest till he had shared the infinite treasure which he had discovered, and brought his brother Simon (later christened Simon Peter, the rock on which Christ built the Church) to Christ that he might also know him (Jn 1: 40-43).
Pope Benedict XVI commented on the significance of the two sons of Jonas - mix of Aramaic name of Peter and Greek name of Andrew, saying: The first striking characteristic of Andrew is his name: It is not Hebrew, as might have been expected, but Greek, indicative of a certain cultural openness in his family that cannot be ignored. We are in Galilee, where the Greek language and culture are quite present [General Audience, June 14, 2006].
Another Apostle Philip, begged Andrew to introduce them to Jesus. Both of them then spoke to the divine master. This shows the great credit St. Andrew had with Christ; on which account St. Bede calls him the Introducer to Christ, and says he had this honour as he also brought his brother St. Peter to him. The Byzantine Church honours him with the name Πρωτóκλητος or Protokletos, which means "the first called".
Later when Jesus performed his first miracle at the marriage feast at Cana in Galilee, both brothers Andrew and Peter were present. Subsequently when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the river Jordan, Peter and Andrew also baptized by his authority and in his name.
The Gospels tell us that our Saviour on his way back into Lower Galilee met Peter and Andrew fishing in the lake at Gennesereth, he called them to follow him, saying that he would make them fishers of men. Jesus made the same request of two other brothers James and John, the sons of Zebedee. and they followed. What is so dramatic is that they responded immediately and left all they had and held dearly to — their families, their occupations and means of livelihood as well as their lives as a whole. Not surprising then that when the Son of God formed the college of his apostles, he named all four at the head of the rest.
Not long after Jesus went down to Capernaum and lodged at the house of Peter and Andrew and, at the request of them both, cured Peter's wife's mother of a fever, by taking her by the hand and rebuking the fever, by which it left her.
After this encounter with Jesus, Andrew could not rest till he had shared the infinite treasure which he had discovered, and brought his brother Simon (later christened Simon Peter, the rock on which Christ built the Church) to Christ that he might also know him (Jn 1: 40-43).
Pope Benedict XVI commented on the significance of the two sons of Jonas - mix of Aramaic name of Peter and Greek name of Andrew, saying: The first striking characteristic of Andrew is his name: It is not Hebrew, as might have been expected, but Greek, indicative of a certain cultural openness in his family that cannot be ignored. We are in Galilee, where the Greek language and culture are quite present [General Audience, June 14, 2006].
Another Apostle Philip, begged Andrew to introduce them to Jesus. Both of them then spoke to the divine master. This shows the great credit St. Andrew had with Christ; on which account St. Bede calls him the Introducer to Christ, and says he had this honour as he also brought his brother St. Peter to him. The Byzantine Church honours him with the name Πρωτóκλητος or Protokletos, which means "the first called".
Later when Jesus performed his first miracle at the marriage feast at Cana in Galilee, both brothers Andrew and Peter were present. Subsequently when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the river Jordan, Peter and Andrew also baptized by his authority and in his name.
The Gospels tell us that our Saviour on his way back into Lower Galilee met Peter and Andrew fishing in the lake at Gennesereth, he called them to follow him, saying that he would make them fishers of men. Jesus made the same request of two other brothers James and John, the sons of Zebedee. and they followed. What is so dramatic is that they responded immediately and left all they had and held dearly to — their families, their occupations and means of livelihood as well as their lives as a whole. Not surprising then that when the Son of God formed the college of his apostles, he named all four at the head of the rest.
Not long after Jesus went down to Capernaum and lodged at the house of Peter and Andrew and, at the request of them both, cured Peter's wife's mother of a fever, by taking her by the hand and rebuking the fever, by which it left her.
When Christ would not send away the multitude of five thousand persons who had followed him into the desert till they were refreshed with some food, Philip said two hundred pennyworth of bread would not suffice. But Andrew seemed to express a stronger faith, demonstrated when he brought Jesus the boy with five barley loaves and two fish; from these simple elements Jesus made enough food to feed the multitude (cf. John 6:8-9)
Andrew was one of the four disciples, along with Peter, James and John who came to Jesus on the Mount of Olives to ask about the signs of Jesus' return at the "end of the age". Pope Benedict notes: As he left the city, a disciple drew Jesus' attention to the sight of the massive walls that supported the Temple. The Teacher's response was surprising: he said that of those walls not one stone would be left upon another. Then Andrew, together with Peter, James and John, questioned him: "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign when these things are all to be accomplished?" (Mk 13: 1-4). In answer to this question Jesus gave an important discourse on the destruction of Jerusalem and on the end of the world, in which he asked his disciples to be wise in interpreting the signs of the times and to be constantly on their guard. From this event we can deduce that we should not be afraid to ask Jesus questions but at the same time that we must be ready to accept even the surprising and difficult teachings that he offers us.
Some very ancient traditions not only see Andrew, who communicated these words to the Greeks, as the interpreter of some Greeks at the meeting with Jesus recalled here, but consider him the Apostle to the Greeks in the years subsequent to Pentecost. They enable us to know that for the rest of his life he was the preacher and interpreter of Jesus for the Greek world.
He is said to have been martyred at Patras in southern Greece in AD 60. He deemed himself unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus. He was crucified on a cross form known as "crux decussata," which is an X-shaped cross or a "saltire or St. Andrew's cross." He was said to have preached for two days from it. His saltire cross is featured on the flag of Scotland and is represented in much of his iconography starting in the Middle Ages.
In September 1964, Pope Paul VI, as a gesture of goodwill toward the Greek Orthodox Church, ordered that all of the relics of Saint Andrew that were in Vatican City be sent back to Patras. The cross of Saint Andrew was taken from Greece during the Crusades by the Duke of Burgundy. It was kept in the church of St. Victor in Marseilles until it returned to Patras on 19 January 1980.
A more recent example of the mutual respect between the Holy Father and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople occurred when the Ecumenical pPatriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, visited Pope Francis on the occasion of his election to the pontificate. As the successor of St. Peter, Francis noted the role of Patriarch Bartholomew as the successor of St. Andrew and referred to him as “my brother, Andrew,” casting the two of them in the roles of the original brother apostles.
St. Andrew is patron saint of fishermen
Beginning today the feast of St. Andrew's, the Christmas Novena (said to have originated in Ireland at least 100 years ago) is traditionally recited fifteen times a day for 21 days leading up to Christmas:
Andrew was one of the four disciples, along with Peter, James and John who came to Jesus on the Mount of Olives to ask about the signs of Jesus' return at the "end of the age". Pope Benedict notes: As he left the city, a disciple drew Jesus' attention to the sight of the massive walls that supported the Temple. The Teacher's response was surprising: he said that of those walls not one stone would be left upon another. Then Andrew, together with Peter, James and John, questioned him: "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign when these things are all to be accomplished?" (Mk 13: 1-4). In answer to this question Jesus gave an important discourse on the destruction of Jerusalem and on the end of the world, in which he asked his disciples to be wise in interpreting the signs of the times and to be constantly on their guard. From this event we can deduce that we should not be afraid to ask Jesus questions but at the same time that we must be ready to accept even the surprising and difficult teachings that he offers us.
Some very ancient traditions not only see Andrew, who communicated these words to the Greeks, as the interpreter of some Greeks at the meeting with Jesus recalled here, but consider him the Apostle to the Greeks in the years subsequent to Pentecost. They enable us to know that for the rest of his life he was the preacher and interpreter of Jesus for the Greek world.
He is said to have been martyred at Patras in southern Greece in AD 60. He deemed himself unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as Jesus. He was crucified on a cross form known as "crux decussata," which is an X-shaped cross or a "saltire or St. Andrew's cross." He was said to have preached for two days from it. His saltire cross is featured on the flag of Scotland and is represented in much of his iconography starting in the Middle Ages.
In September 1964, Pope Paul VI, as a gesture of goodwill toward the Greek Orthodox Church, ordered that all of the relics of Saint Andrew that were in Vatican City be sent back to Patras. The cross of Saint Andrew was taken from Greece during the Crusades by the Duke of Burgundy. It was kept in the church of St. Victor in Marseilles until it returned to Patras on 19 January 1980.
A more recent example of the mutual respect between the Holy Father and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople occurred when the Ecumenical pPatriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, visited Pope Francis on the occasion of his election to the pontificate. As the successor of St. Peter, Francis noted the role of Patriarch Bartholomew as the successor of St. Andrew and referred to him as “my brother, Andrew,” casting the two of them in the roles of the original brother apostles.
St. Andrew is patron saint of fishermen
Beginning today the feast of St. Andrew's, the Christmas Novena (said to have originated in Ireland at least 100 years ago) is traditionally recited fifteen times a day for 21 days leading up to Christmas:
Hail and blessed be the hour and momentin which the Son of God was bornof the most pure Virgin Mary,at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires(state your request here)through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ,and of His blessed Mother.Amen.
And since Andrew helped his brother Peter and the apostle Philip find the Messiah, so too he can do the same for us.
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