Word to the Wise
Thursday, November 30, 2023 - Nov. 30 - St. Andrew, Apostle
[Rom 10:9-18 and Matt 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] As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrews, 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. [Matthew]
There are two different traditions about how Andrew met Jesus. The synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke) tell the story of Jesus calling to Peter and Andrew from the sea shore. The other tradition is in the Gospel According to John, which places Andrew among the disciples of John the Baptist at the Jordan River when John the Baptist points to Jesus as "the lamb of God." Andrew and another disciple "follow" Jesus to his house and "stay" with him. This starts a chain of events in which Andrew finds Peter and Peter finds Nathanael, etc. This is often the way many people come to faith in Jesus. They meet someone who is excited about him.
The word "apostle" is derived from a Greek verb, apestelein, which means to "send" someone for something. The original band of followers who were called by Jesus in different ways was soon "sent" to proclaim the "good news" of the Kingdom of God. They were "sent" to "proclaim." St. Paul's Letter to the Romans puts it clearly in the quotation above from the first scripture for today's Mass: "How can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent?" The initial preaching of the apostles after Pentecost created more disciples whose witness spread the faith, as we can read in the Acts of the Apostles. But, for various historical reasons, the "preaching," in the official sense, became narrowed to the bishops and their delegates, the priests and deacons. The Second Vatican Council recalled the older tradition of a baptismal "call" to spread the good news. Pope Francis has emphasized this call and challenged all the baptized to become "missionary disciples." St. Paul did this around the Mediterranean region with the help of others like Timothy and Titus and Aquila/Priscilla and Apollos and Luke and John Mark, etc. In short, sending and proclaiming lead to hearing and believing. St. Andrew can serve today as a reminder to us of our own "call" to do what he did. AMEN