Word to the Wise
Monday, November 30, 2009 - St. Andrew the Apostle
[Romans 10:9-18 and Matthew 4:18-22]But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? [Romans]
Once in awhile, when the feast of one of the twelve apostles shows up on the liturgical calendar, I find myself wondering what might have happened if the twelve had called it quits with the death of Jesus? We do know that they broke and ran when Jesus was arrested. Their fears were real enough! If Jesus was executed by the authorities as a kind of revolutionary, what about his closest followers? Yet, they all seemed to find their way back to the "upper room" and to Galilee, according to Jesus' instructions. They waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit, which transformed them from fearful fugitives into apostles - a word derived from the Greek verb meaning: to send! St. Paul's words, quoted above, tells us how important it was that Andrew and the others persevered. Your reading of these words today is a sign of that importance. If no one preaches, how can anyone believe? There would be no church, no eucharist, no hope of eternal life! The idea that "real" preaching only occurs at the celebration of the eucharist is very dangerous. We are all called by virtue of our baptism to preach the gospel. We are "sent!" The Church is founded on the apostles but it continues because others have followed in their footsteps. AMEN
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