RBWords

     The story of initial contact between Jesus and some of his future apostles in the Gospel of John is obviously not the same story recounted by the "synoptic" gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke!  In the Gospel of John, the initial contact comes about as a result of being in the same crowd listening to John the Baptist, and not a surprise visit to a fishing camp!  This difference should not surprise us.  I've known close friends to disagree on the circumstances of their first meeting!  The evangelists all have their own "agendas" and the fishing story is used in different ways.  In the Gospel of John, it shows up after Jesus' resurrection!  John's "agenda" is different.  He has important themes such as "seeing," "following," "staying" that he wants to emphasize.  These are qualities of a true disciple.  Andrew fits the bill nicely!  What's more, he goes and finds his brother, Peter, and brings him to Jesus!  Andrew's enthusiasm has tremendous consequences!

     Some years ago, the American bishops launched a vocation recruitment program named after Andrew!  The idea was to get prospective "recruiters" to bring prospective seminarians to dinner with the local pastor or even the bishop himself!  The "recruiters" were usually local pastors, but not necessarily so.  I'm not sure what the long term success of the program has been, but the idea was based directly on the gospel account.  This could be an important thing to think about.  Our faith and commitment can inspire faith and commitment in another person.  Those who work in the RCIA programs know this at first hand as they listen to the personal stories of people coming to join the church.  Time and time again, the example of a dedicated and faithful Catholic has been the deciding factor.  AMEN