The First Called!

Saturday, November 30, 2024

Feast of St. Andrew

Rom 10:9-18; Mt 4:18-22

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Andrew.

There are two call narratives of St. Andrew – one in the Gospel of John and the other from the synoptic Gospels. 

The Gospel of John emphasizes Andrew’s initial encounter with Jesus through John the Baptist (Jn 1:35-42). John also mentions Andrew’s role in bringing his brother Peter to Jesus. 

The Synoptic Gospels present a more direct calling of Andrew and Peter by Jesus while they were fishing. 

Since Andrew is the first of the apostles to be called and respond to that call by Jesus, he is known in Greek as ‘Protokletos’ meaning, ‘the first called.’

There are some facts about St. Andrew that are truly fascinating. 

His Joy in Bringing People to Jesus: Andrew is known as the bringer of people to Jesus. He brings his brother Peter to Jesus (Jn 1:42). Later, he brings the boy who had five barley loaves and two fish (Jn 6:9). Also, we find Andrew and Philip mediating a request from the Greeks to Jesus (Jn 12:20-22). In what he does, Andrew reminds us that a disciple’s primary duty is to bring people to Jesus. Looking at his life, we can be certain that he understood literally the words of Jesus that he should ‘fish for people’ (Mt 4:19). In this sense, St. Andrew is our model and example. 

His Ability to Look for Alternatives: When Jesus intends to feed the large crowd that follows him (Jn 6:1-14), he asks him where they can get enough food for everyone. While Philip looks totally puzzled by Jesus’ intention and remarks disapprovingly, ‘Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little bite’ (v. 7), it is Andrew who thinks of the alternative idea to present it to Jesus, saying, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish’ (v. 8). Sometimes we are easily overwhelmed by negativity when difficult situations present themselves. While Philip is overwhelmed by the presented situation, Andrew stands outside of the problem to solve it. While Philip, who acts out of a ‘scarcity mindset,’ thinks he does not have everything to accomplish the task, Andrew, who acts out of an ‘abundance mindset,’ shows that all we need is something to begin with so that the good act may gather steam in the process. We do not need Philip’s mindset that says, ‘We do not have all.’ But we certainly need Andrew’s attitude that says, ‘We have got something.’ 

His Honesty in Guiding People to Jesus: As an apostle of Jesus, Andrew must have enjoyed considerable clout among those who followed Jesus. However, Andrew stays very humble. This is why when people approach him, he does not pretend to solve their problems. Instead, he takes them to the One who can. In what he does, he is not only sincere to himself but also others and their problems and concerns. Andrew does not suffer from the Messiah complex but takes them to the Messiah himself. In this regard, we must always look up to St. Andrew for imitation. 

Let us pray that we may imbibe the spirit of St. Andrew to be sincere in our vocation. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar