Feast of St. Andrew

We have a guest blogger today. Arlene B. Muller (Arlene Clare Muller, OFS) is a lector and EM at St. Pancras Church in Glendale, NY, a singer in the choir at St. Margaret's Church in Middle Village, NY, a professed Secular Franciscan & newly elected Formation Director at St. Adalbert's Secular Franciscan fraternity in Elmhurst, NY & an itinerant speech/language therapist who works with preschool children with delayed language development. In addition to her ministries & work she seeks to promote the GOSPEL & the GOSPEL OF LIFE, especially in writing & frequently on FACEBOOK.

Scripture readings for today can be found at Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle | USCCB

Today is the Feast Day of St. Andrew, the apostle, the brother of St. Peter.

According to St. John's Gospel, St. Andrew was a seeker & a disciple of St. John the Baptist & when St. John the Baptist pointed out JESUS he immediately went to JESUS & spent time with Him, & then Andrew told his brother Simon (who became St. Peter) about JESUS, & the rest is history.

According to St. John, Andrew was one of the first two followers of JESUS, but it was Simon Peter, his impetuous, "foot in mouth" brother whom Our LORD called to be the leader. Although St. Andrew played an important role in Our LORD'S miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes by telling Our LORD about the boy who had 5 loaves & 2 fish, most of the time Andrew tended to be more in the background & rank fourth in prominence among the apostle, since whenever the LORD chose to spend time with His closest apostles He picked "Peter, James & John", as in the time JESUS raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead, as in the time of Our LORD's Transfiguration, and in the Garden of Gethsemane!

I wonder if it ever bothered St. Andrew to "play second fiddle" to his brother Simon Peter. I feel sure that Andrew was glad to share the good news of finding the Messiah & to bring his brother & other people to JESUS.  He definitely had the heart of an evangelist right away and His devotion to Our LORD was fervent & sincere. But I wonder if at times when Simon Peter was being picked ahead of him, St. Andrew ever thought or even said aloud "But I found JESUS first!" and/or even thought at times when his blustery brother "blew it" by speaking first & thinking later, or by falling asleep when Our LORD needed him to watch & pray with Him, or when Simon Peter cut off the ear of Malchus, or when Simon Peter denied the LORD "Why did JESUS  pick Peter ahead of me, when I could have done a better job!" It is possible that this could have been Andrew's "two cents" when the apostles argued among themselves about who would be the greatest.

Whether playing "second fiddle" to Simon Peter & seemingly in rank of the apostles ever bothered St. Andrew we might never know unless one day we get to have a conversation with him in heaven! Imagining myself in St. Andrew's sandals I am pretty sure that these thoughts and feelings would definitely have entered my mind & heart.

I think generally St. Andrew had a generous & humble heart (probably at least more humble than that of his more prominent brother, at least for a time) & while spending time with JESUS he came to know that beyond "rank" JESUS loved him just as much & loved him uniquely & had a very definite and special place for Andrew in His heart, in His ministry & in His Church.

Andrew was full of apostolic zeal & received the Holy Spirit & wound up spreading the good news & dying as a martyr in a cross shaped like an X, considering himself unworthy of a cross in the same shape as His Master.

St. Andrew loved Our LORD & filled the role that Our LORD gave him with obedience, devotion & humility, both when he was in the forefront & when he was in the background, and in this he is a wonderful role model for us all & a great apostle and saint.