St. Andrew
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The Feast of St. Andrew
Andrew was the brother of St. Peter. They were from Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee, fishermen by trade. Andrew was a seeker of truth and he had a longing for God which led him to become a disciple of John the Baptist who upon seeing Jesus said to Andrew “Behold the Lamb of God.” Hearing this, Andrew followed Jesus who called him to be an Apostle.
For this reason, Andrew is known as the First Called.
Early next morning, Andrew met his brother and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah' - which means the Christ - and he took Simon to Jesus. Andrew could also be considered the first missionary since he brought St. Peter to Jesus.
After the Ascension of Jesus, Andrew went and proclaimed the Good News to the people in Northern Turkey, Greece, the Slavic lands, Kiev Ukraine, and making it as far as Novgorod Russia, just south of St Petersburg.
Andrew reminds us there is just one mission that Jesus gave to the Church – Go and make disciples of all nations. If we want to be a follower of Christ, then it is not enough to be a receiver and consumer of Christianity. To be a Christian means to be a disciple maker. Jesus, through the Bishop gave you a divine mandate and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit at your confirmation precisely to be a disciple maker. We are to do so through family and friendship.
What account will you give to the Master of the gifts he has given you and what profit in souls can you render to him?
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Shortly before the Crucifixion of Jesus, some Greeks had come to Jerusalem. Wanting to meet Jesus, they approached Philip and Andrew. When they told this to Jesus, He replied: 'Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.
In the year 60 AD, Andrew was martyred by crucifixion. Like his brother Peter, he did not feel worthy to be crucified like Jesus. Granting his wish, the cross of Andrew was in the shape of an X which has come to be known as St. Andrew’s cross. Seeing his cross Andrew cried out: Hail, O Cross, inaugurated by the Body of Christ and adorned by with his limbs as though they were precious pearls. Before the Lord mounted you, you inspired an earthly fear. Now, instead, endowed with heavenly love, you are accepted as a gift.
Believers know of the great joy that you possess, and of the multitude of gifts you have prepared. I come to you, therefore, confident and joyful, so that you too may receive me exultant as a disciple of the One who was hung upon you…O blessed Cross, clothed in the majesty and beauty of the Lord’s limbs!...Take me, carry me far from men, and restore me to my Teacher, so that, through you, the one who redeemed me by you, may receive me. Hail, O Cross; yes, hail indeed!
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Pope Benedict XVI writes: Here is a very profound Christian spirituality. It does not view the Cross as an instrument of torture but rather as the incomparable means for perfect configuration to the Redeemer, to the grain of wheat that fell into the earth. Here we have a very important lesson to learn: our own crosses acquire value if we consider them and accept them as a part of the Cross of Christ…It is by that Cross alone that our sufferings too are ennobled and acquire their true meaning.
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Suffering by itself is the loss of something good. But if we accept our suffering and unite it to the Cross of Jesus then it is not loss – it is gain. How so? If we accept our suffering, that means, we have done all we can to remedy or change the situation and we can’t change a thing. If we cant change it that means God has allowed it. If we accept what God has allowed, uniting it to the Cross of Jesus, then God uses our suffering to bring us closer to Jesus, the goal of life, and God uses it to bring other people to Jesus.
The Cross of Jesus is the Power of God to save the world. When we unite our useless and powerless suffering to the suffering of Jesus on the Cross, then our suffering is united to all the power of the Cross of Christ, united to the power of God to bring us close to Jesus and power source of God to help save and rescue other souls.
Do not waste any cross or suffering. Accept it. Unite it to the Cross of Jesus. Offer it up so that the grain of wheat can bear much fruit.
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The key to unlock the mystery and power of suffering is to stop resisting God and start surrendering. Surrender does not mean giving up. To surrender or abandon oneself to God means this: Letting God do what He wants. Abandonment is to make room for God to act by accepting the cross He allows.
If God allows some cross or suffering in your life, do what you can to change it. If you can’t change, then accept it. By acceptance we choose to cooperate with God rather than resist Him through anger, fear, alarm, aversion or despair. But you must practice accepting what you did not choose, do not like and cannot change in all the little things in life if you want to be able in the big things in life. Crosses come in all shapes and sizes: physical, mental, emotional, relational, professional…don’t waste any of them. Practice accepting what God is doing. Let him do whatever He wants and cooperate with Him.