by Luca McQuillan
Saint
Profile
Name:
Saint Andrew
Status:
disciple of Jesus, brother of Saint Peter
Feast
day:
November 30th
Patron: Of
Scotland (also Greece and Russia)
Background
into the life of St Andrew:
St Andrew was a fisherman from Bethsaida along with his
brother, Simon Peter. He must have been a keen pursuer of the truth, as St
Andrew was already a disciple of John the Baptist when he first came on the
scene. One day while at work, his life changed dramatically as he met Jesus and
became the very first disciple to be
called by him. When Jesus called him, he instantly followed and stayed with him
for the rest of the day, no doubt tirelessly listening to him speak. He finally
found the fullness of the truth he had been looking for:
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. (Jn 1:35-39)
He then brought his own brother, the future Saint Peter,
our first pope, to Jesus.
“He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus”. (Jn 1:41-42)
Apart from this, the gospels do not say much about St
Andrew, in fact, despite being Peter’s brother and being the first to follow
Jesus, he is never chosen specially like Peter, James and John. For example, he
was not present at the Transfiguration. However, as a faithful follower of
Jesus and one of the twelve apostles, he would have been with him for those
three years of his apostolic life, hearing first-hand the words of Jesus,
listening to his parables, witnessing countless miracles, growing in faith and
all the virtues. He would have been instructed by Jesus, talked with him, dined
with him and supported him during his earthly life.
From the gospels we know
that he asked Jesus questions (Mk 13:1-4)
and as one of the few Greek speakers brought Greeks to Jesus and served as an
interpreter together with Philip (Jn12:20-22).
He was also the one who pointed out to Jesus the little boy with the fish and
barley loaves that later served as the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 (Jn 6:8).
From tradition we know that while his brother Peter became
the head of the See of Rome, he was the Apostle to the Greek world. (This is
significant today, because the Church of the East and West were once united,
literally as brothers, and even today Pope Francis has referred to the
Patriarch of Constantinople as “my brother Andrew”)
St Andrew suffered for his faith extensively and eventually
won the crown of martyrdom by being crucified. The Acts of St Andrew, an
ancient manuscript preserved from the 6th century, gives an account
of his martyrdom. Tradition also tells us his cross was X-shaped which is still
preserved in Scotland’s flag.
How
did you come to know Saint Andrew?
Despite spending many years growing up in Scotland where St
Andrew is its patron saint, I didn’t know much about him. No one really talked
about him, and even St Andrew’s day was just another day to go to mass or
simply be a day of celebration. However, reflecting on my teenage years, I do
believe that St Andrew had much to contribute in keeping the faith alive in
little pockets throughout the country. For my own life, this too allowed me to
keep the light of faith burning and strengthening as I grew older.
It was by coming to know the St Andrew Community, a group
of young women in the process of becoming a new religious order in Scotland,
that I was truly introduced to St Andrew; as their very way of life reflects
his discipleship with Jesus. Although the community is still small and new, it
has been a great blessing in my life for countless reasons and undoubtedly for
many others who have come into contact with them.
St Andrew's Community
How
has living in the St Andrew Community helped your journey of faith?
Having spent a year in close contact with the community,
I’ve had the privilege of experiencing first-hand the true St Andrew spirit in
which they live, centring everything on Christ. At all times, their first and
most important work of the community is prayer; during my year there I spent
more hours in adoration than I ever had before. They have set up adoration from
7am to 12am daily which is a feat that I have not been able to find elsewhere
in Scotland.
In the gospels St Andrew stays with Jesus from 4pm to 6am,
14 hours. The rest of the day makes 10. The ratio of hours translated
mathematically into months splits this exactly as 7 to 5. In this way, the
Saint Andrew Community spend 7 months living a more contemplative life
reflecting Andrew’s time with Jesus, giving them strength to then live the 5
months of an active life during the summer time when they bring people to him,
particularly the youth just like St Andrew. These active months culminate in a
long summer pilgrimage of around 80 young people which truly embraces the
traditional concept of the word and is a time of great graces. This is their
time of “bringing Peter to Jesus” as Saint Andrew did. Saint Andrew still is
bringing many young people to Jesus through the community in this way.
An event that stands out during my time with the community is a visit to Amalfi whilst on
pilgrimage in Rome. Amalfi is one of those famous and beautiful coastline
tourist destination spots. On my visit, the town itself was littered with
holidaymakers snapping endless pictures and honeymooning couples sipping
glasses of wine. I remember making the 3 and a half hour drive from Rome with
the Saint Andrew Community and the others in our group so that we could enter
the Cathedral (which was also packed, with an additional lengthy queue to get
in) in order to venerate the relics of Saint Andrew. Although we could only
stay a few precious moments I remember thinking of the irony of the hundreds of
tourists walking around sightseeing an old cathedral and our group kneeling in
the midst of them by Saint Andrew, asking for intercession from a saint we
love.
Relics of St Andrew in St Andrew's Cathedral in Amalfi
Since
learning more about St Andrew, how has his life inspired you?
From the Gospels and the Acts there are three things that inspire
me about him:
1. His complete conviction and immediate
following of Jesus
St Andrew doesn’t wait for another person to follow Jesus
first, he doesn’t hesitate, doesn’t look
for approval or test the waters. He recognises the truth instantly: Jesus
is the Messiah, and he follows him straight away.
This direct, open and willing attitude is truly uplifting. It
is an all too common trap to hold back and give in to irrational fears about
the opinions of other people, we always want to “make sure”. This is all just
an excuse when we know the truth deep down. St Andrew shows us that we must act
on our relationship with God immediately, no matter what people think of us,
even if we are the only one around who is following him.
2. His willingness to follow Jesus at any cost
Recently on two occasions I was asked to take part in
reading the Acts of St Andrew. One of these readings was in a performance at
New Dawn Scotland, which takes place in the well-known and fitting town of St.
Andrew’s, where it was acted out alongside the narration, preserving St
Andrew’s inspirational story in a more visual way.
After reading the Acts, I realised how much St Andrew was a
true follower of Jesus; even till death. He was crucified for his faith, just
like Jesus, and he even rejoiced in this because his heart was so united to his
Messiah; reaching even to his executioners and praying for them. No threat of
torture or suffering could keep him from following Jesus; no one could make him
fear even pain and death.
This is truly inspirational and is helpful to remember in
situations where we are inclined to sin, especially when we are tempted not to
witness to the truth of the faith. Often I remember the words of Jesus that
when we don’t bear witness to him, neither will he bear witness to us in front
of the Heavenly Father (Mt 10:32-33).
This helps me remember that every situation in which I can witness to the truth
I should grasp fully and use for the glory of God. I should fear nothing in my
witness, except offending Him.
3. His
apostolic spirit
St Andrew “first
found his brother Simon”. As soon as he was a follower of Jesus he wanted to give the most precious thing
anyone can give to another, God Himself. This led him to bring his own
brother to Jesus, and he didn’t stop there. Even though he doesn’t have the
consolation of being as close to Jesus as some of the others including his own
brother, this doesn’t hinder his apostolic spirit which gives generously. He
brought Greeks to Jesus, he brought the little boy with the loaves and fish to
him, and who knows how many other people that are not recorded in the Gospels.
I know for certain that St Andrew doesn’t stop bringing people to Jesus, and we should ask
for his intercession from heaven more frequently as it is surely what he is
good at! It is true discipleship to bring those we love to God and St Andrew is
a great model. When the love for God is ignited in our souls it seems to me
almost simultaneous that the flame of sharing it starts to grow. If God is
love, isn’t it the ultimate act of charity to bring people to experience the
very source of love itself?
There
are so many people who do not know the love of God yet. There
is no person too small, or unworthy or “needing too much work” to bring to
Jesus. He looks for these people, and he rewards us by miracles. Look at St
Peter! We, too, should bring others to Him, no matter who they are.
Novena
on the Feast of St Andrew
To end this reflection, I would like to share a novena that I learned a few years ago and have been praying since. It is
called the Christmas Novena, for it begins TODAY on the feast of St. Andrew and leads
up to Christmas.
Hail,
and blessed be the hour and moment
At
which the Son of God was born
Of a
most pure Virgin
At a
stable at midnight in Bethlehem
In the
piercing cold
At
that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
To
hear my prayers and grant my desires
(mention
request here).
Through
Jesus Christ and His most Blessed Mother.
HAPPY ST ANDREW'S DAY!
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