Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle

In my office, there’s a little ceramic wall hanging of Saint Andrew. It was a gift from the youth group of the first parish I served, Saint Andrew’s in Grand Prairie, Texas.

            As today is the feast of Saint Andrew, I found myself reflecting on this work of art, and I noticed that it includes three symbols: a fish in Saint Andrew’s hands; a net over his shoulder; and an “X” at his feet.

            These three symbols, in a nutshell, tell us the story of Saint Andrew’s life: How it began as a fisherman with his brother Peter; how it continued with Jesus’ invitation to become a fisher of men; and how it concluded, according to tradition, with his being crucified on an X-shaped cross.

            `Saint Andrew’s story reminds us that we’re all called to be fishers of men as evangelists. And as with Andrew, the place to start is within our own families. When Andrew first encountered Jesus, he ran to tell his brother Peter that he had found the Messiah.

            Do we share our faith with our families? Is it something that we discuss with our relatives- even those who already share our faith? That’s what our Lord invites us to do.

            “Faith is strengthened when it is given to others,” insisted Pope John Paul II. And like charity, sharing faith best begins at home.
 

 

 

(My book of daily meditations for Lent is now available from Ave Maria Press: https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-363-4/The-Living-Gospel-Daily-Devotions-for-Lent-2013/ It is available also at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Lent-Living-Gospel/dp/1594713634/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335995419&sr=8-1 )