Gospel reading: Mt 4:18-22
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.
REFLECTION Two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew
Today, the feast of the Apostle Andrew, we celebrate the calling of this less-acclaimed brother of Peter but who equally gives his unconditional “yes” to Jesus. In fact, in the gospel of John, it is he who meets the Lord first and introduces his brother, Peter, to Jesus. Hence, he is also called the “protoklētos” (first-called) in the Orthodox tradition. Another tradition says that Andrew gave witness to the Lord by being crucified on an X-type of a cross (and not the traditional cross of Christ) as he did not deem worthy of being crucified on the same type of cross as Christ’s.
Every disciple of Christ lives a “cruciform” life – a life patterned after the cross of Christ. As Paul reminds us, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal 6:14).
Anyone who avoids the cross is not a true Christian.
St. Andrew embraced the cross. What about us?
SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord,” ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
