RBWords

     The very word, "apostle" comes from a Greek verb meaning "to send someone" to do something.  In the gospel scripture for today from the Gospel According to Matthew, Jesus promises Peter and Andrew that he will make them "fishers of men."  Andrew was one of the first of the apostles to be called, along with his brother, Peter, and the sons of Zebedee, James and John.  Together with the other eight who were called they form the foundation of the preaching of the Christian faith.  Every time we recite the Nicene or Apostles' Creeds we profess a faith in "one, holy, catholic and apostolic church."  Indeed all the earliest preachers in the church had to show that they had received their "credentials" from one of the apostles or someone intimately connected to them.  This is what we call today, "the apostolic succession," which is personified in the pope and bishops.

     All of this is designed to create both unity and continuity while allowing for diverse expressions by different communities and cultures.  The Catholic church is anything but monolithic or homogeneous.  But the message is universal, and, as St. Paul says in today's first scripture, if people are going to hear the message, there have to be people who are sent to preach.  All of us by virtue of our baptism are sent but we are not independent agents.  We preach with those who represent the unity and continuity of the faith.  Their job is to make sure we "stay on message."  The celebration of the feast of St. Andrew is a reminder of that.  AMEN