My Family Prayer Book

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 Ara...

  September 21: Feast of St Matthew the Apostle St. Matthew the apostle, was the son of Alpheus, most likely born a Levite. He worked in Capernaum as a tax collector for Herod Antipas, collecting taxes from his fellow Jews. Many tax collectors cheated the people by charging more taxes than required and keeping the extra money for themselves. The Jews therefore considered tax collectors to be traitors and ostracised them as sinners. Jesus however knew in his heart that Matthew was not a sinner or a cheat, so when Jesus said to him "Follow me", Matthew left all immediately to become an apostle.  Jesus went to dine at the house of Matthew. The Pharisees and Scribes were shocked that Jesus was dining with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus offered a very good answer and said, “ Those who are well, do not need a physician, but the sick do . Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners .”  (Matthew 9:9–1...

  August 24: Feast of the Apostle and Martyr St Bartholomew Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus named in Matthew 10:2–4, Mark 3:16–19, Luke 6:14–16, Acts 1:1–13.  The Church honors Bartholomew as a saint, and he is the patron of butchers. The name “Bartholomew” most likely comes from Aramaic (Bar-Talmai), meaning “son of Talmai.” He was born in Cana in Galilee, an area renowned for farming. Some identify him as Nathanael (meaning God has given), who appears only in the Gospel of John 1:43-51 when introduced to Jesus by his good friend, the apostle Philip. Nathanael was skeptical of Jesus because Philip told him he found the Messiah, who came from Nazareth. Nathanael famously said, “ Nazareth! Can anything good come from there ?” (John 1:46). We are presented with the Apostle's character in this brief and beautiful dialogue with the Lord Jesus. He is a good Jew, honest and innocent, a just man, who devotes much time to quiet reflection and prayer - "under the fi...

  June 29: Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul Today June 29th, we celebrate the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul, a day made holy for us by their exemplary life of courage and testimony. Apart from Mother Mary, St Joseph and St John the Baptist, these two saints are the only humans commemorated in the Catholic calendar with a day given the rank of ‘Solemnity’. Peter (or Cephas, older brother of the apostle Andrew and son of John/Jonas) was a simple fisherman by trade and the first apostle to be named (Mark 1:16-18). We can relate to his sense of doubt (Matthew 14:31), denial (Mark 15:53-72) and weakness (Mark 14:32-42) even as we admire his passionate devotion to Christ (Mark 14:29). He was the first one to recognise Christ as the Messiah, prompting Jesus to christen him Peter, 'the rock on which I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, the rock on which (Matthew 16:16-19). Paul, by contrast, did not k...