November 30 Andrew, apostle d. 60

Thommy and John
Good morning
I love you

[my fingers play this salutation faster and more confidently than any other riff….]


St. Andrew
November 30 d. 60
Patron of Fisherman

Andrew, from the Greek, means manly, manhood, valour. Son of John, so, Andrew Johnson; John means gift from God – thus, Andrew, the manly son of the gift of God….

Andrew’s story, significant snippets directly in the Bible, may be an opportune metaphor or inspiration for us.

Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. So what does this tell you about Andrew? Without knowing anything else about the man Andrew, his being a disciple of John the Baptizer tells us about him. What we know about JB tells us about his followers. In the desert, living an austere life, preaching the coming of the Messiah, soon! And baptizing. Men seeking holiness, together. A defining pursuit – holiness. A necessary modus vivandi – together.

Choose well whom you follow. Choose well those with whom you associate. Know well how you discern both through your relationship with God and faith and church and family….

Immediately upon JB’s pointing out the Lamb of God, Andrew followed Jesus. Literally, he began walking behind him, wanting to see where Jesus lived. In this way, it is said that Andrew in the answer to the trivia question, who was the first disciple. Maybe. Though I’m willing to bet that there were others who knew Jesus before Andrew did, not to mention JB or Mary, and who considered themselves devotees of the Man.

So, when you find The Man to follow, the person in whom you know you will place your life, what do you do next? Andrew got his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus. So, the ‘first’ disciple was the one to bring to Jesus the ‘first’ apostle!?. When you find Jesus in your life, the experience compels you to share him with family and friends and community and the world…. Initially, these men continued their careers, fishing. Not unlike most Catholics, we followers of Christ. We live our daily lives, now forever changed by the relationship with Jesus and church, with our family, in our job, infusing our ‘extracurriculars’. And, at some point, we decide whether our vocation is full time as follower of Jesus, as proselytizer. Many are called. Could be you, too. Too many do not listen, say that they do not hear even; maybe they are not discerning for a vocation, listening for a calling, but rather have decided to do their own will not God’s, so why listen to anyone else?!. Too many hear the call and say no, not me, I won’t, I can’t, I don’t want to: no. … I pray that you discern your vocation authentically.

Peter, James, John, and, this time, also Andrew were sitting privately with Jesus on the steps of the temple. They asked Jesus to explain the eschatological inference he had made about the destruction of the temple. Imagine sitting around with your friends having a discussion about last things? How the world came to be and how it will come to an end. Such a discussion requires that you know something of what has already been said about those topics – know the bible, know your Catholic teachings, know also the teachings of Judaism and of other faiths. How can you pursue knowledge without knowledge? How can you enrich your faith now only without faith but also without knowledge. [one small reason for a daily excursion into the lives of the saints; for daily prayer; for daily study…. Yes daily. A little dab will do you. And ongoing study. And study in the midst of the faithful – on the temple steps, if you will….]


John 6:5-9ff. The miracle of the loaves and the fishes. So they sat down and Jesus saw all the people still with him at the end of a long day, as sunset was about to bring in the pasch. Jesus asked where will we buy enough food for all these people? [John tells us that this was a set up question because Jesus knew what he was going to do.] Philip tells him how much money they have and that it is not nearly enough – we don’t have enough money to pay for what all these people need. We never have enough money to pay for what our people need. Maybe part of the point here. Andrew told Jesus about the boy with the five loaves and two fishes; but this is even more inconsequential in the face of the task of feeding the multitudes. By themselves, by ourselves, there is not enough money and never enough food to feed people.

Until Jesus takes the bread and fish into his hands and passes them on to us….

We have only one other direct reference to Andrew in the scripture. But we know a lot about this man by who he was, where he came from, with whom he associated. From Galilee – what good can come from Galilee?  Jesus, of course, and his disciple…. Andrew as an apostle, a man who was close with Jesus; he was at the last supper; he witnessed the resurrected Jesus in the upper room; he was lit by the fire of the Spirit on Pentecost; and brought the Word into the unbelieving and persecuting world.

We can also make some guesses about what Andrew did not do, what he did not know/believe, how his life in faith evolved not unlike the other Apostles, not unlike us.

The early writers have Andrew traveling across a wide expanse – Scythia, Epirus, Hellas, Galatia, Bithynia, Byzantium, Macedonia. The historians generally agree that Andrew was crucified by order of Aegeas, the Roman Governor at Patrae in Achaia. He was bound, not nailed; and a later tradition describes the cross as the decussate cross. In about 357, Andrew’s relics were moved to Constantinople; and then the French took them to Italy when they took Constantinople about 1200.
Russia and Scotland have taken Andrew as their patron saint. At baptism you are given your patron saints – and you inherit the patron saints of your family and lineage. At confirmation you add you personal choice for a patron saint. And, at any time you may add others – and, depending on which countries you live in or which organizations you join, you are given patron saints. Honor your patrons by doing good and right; by emulating them. Do not hesitate to call upon you patrons for whatever you need – and remember how much you need….

I love you
dad