On this day in the Church’s calendar we celebrate the feast of St. Andrew, one of Christ’s chosen Twelve.
> As I reflected upon St. Andrew in some detail using Sacred Scripture as my aid I found myself intrigued by this servant of Unity.
> Prior to being an Apostle and Martyr of Jesus Christ, St. Andrew was a disciple of Christ’s forerunner, St. John the Baptist. The very fact that St. Andrew was a disciple of St. John the Baptist is evidence that he hungered for the Truth and the fulfillment of God’s promises. St. John the Baptist led and prepared St. Andrew for following Christ. St. Andrew rejoiced in John’s light for a little while until the True Light which was to come into the world arrived. St. John the Baptist saw Him on the Shore and proclaimed Him the Lamb forever more. St. Andrew took to heart the words of his master and followed Jesus. Meanwhile, as the spotlight moved away from St. John the Baptist and centered on Jesus, John was still able in spite of the haunting face of pride to humbly submit to God’s will and profess that: “He must increase in importance while I decrease in importance.” John prepared the way of the Lord in word and deed and then gracefully bowed out being contented with the particular task that God had called him to do. John, the one who preached a baptism for the forgiveness of sins in the wilderness area of Judea, surely drew large crowds to himself by virtue of his desert ministry. John even drew the attention of the religious leaders of Jerusalem. The ministry of the Baptist was quite significant; he even had his own loyal group of followers.
> All of a sudden from out of nowhere Jesus of Nazareth steals the spotlight and John is left to deal with a declining popularity. Even two of his followers, Andrew and John, son of Zebedee, leave him to follow the Lamb of God. Can you imagine some of the Baptist’s thoughts as he relinquished his time in the spotlight to a newcomer? Just think about the temptations which he must have faced. One temptation could have been to get angry at God because he was not chosen to be an Apostle, one of the chosen few. After all he had prepared the way for the Lord who else was better qualified than him to be an Apostle. A second temptation that could have crossed his mind was the temptation to be resentful at Andrew and John for leaving him to follow Jesus.
> As we take time to reflect upon Andrew in accord with the Biblical witness we should clearly see the influence that John the Baptist had on Andrew. Three of the four times that Andrew is mentioned in the New Testament other than when his name appears in a list of names, he is seen as one who brings people to Jesus, people who will enable Jesus to fulfill his mission which is none other than: gathering all his sheep into one flock with one shepherd over that flock. Let us examine those people whom Andrew brought to Jesus. First, Andrew brought his brother Simon Peter whom Jesus appointed as chief Shepherd of His Church. As the chief Shepherd, Peter would serve as a visible sign of unity for the Church. Subsequently, all of Peter’s successors would continue the task of safeguarding the flock in unity; Second, Andrew brought a young boy to Jesus who had five loaves and two fish. Jesus seized this opportunity presented him by Andrew to miraculously feed five thousand men a miracle which has been recounted in the Gospel because it points to the miracle of the Eucharist which is also a great sign of unity. By partaking of the one loaf the many become one. The Eucharist alongside the Papacy are visible signs of Christ’s presence in his Church and in the world and they also safeguard the unity of the one flock. Third: When approached by Philip regarding Greeks (Gentiles) who want to see Jesus, Andrew brings their desire before Jesus. St. Paul tells us that Jesus has torn down the wall of hostility that existed between Jew and Gentile by creating within himself ‘one new man’ who is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave or free, man or woman because Jesus has put an end to that division by nailing it to the Tree and sealing it with His Blood. God desires that all people be saved and that those who previously were not a people, His people, may call on Him as their God. In going before Jesus on behalf of the Greeks (Gentiles) Andrew was putting himself at the service of the Unity which so characterized and continues to characterize the all pervasive mission of Jesus Christ which is to reconcile all things in Himself, things in heaven and things on earth to the One, True Father of love.
> As can be seen from these 3 actions of St. Andrew which all are preparatory steps for the fulfillment of the Lord’s mission, Andrew is continuing the work of John the Baptist. The character of John the Baptist has overflowed into that of Andrew.
> Let us take a closer look at Andrew and John in one particular case. Andrew as we know was engaged in the search for Truth before Jesus put forth the official Call. His brother Peter it appears was not so actively engaged. Andrew, after spending the day with Jesus along with the Apostle John sought out to find his brother Peter in order to introduce him to Jesus. With time Jesus chooses his chosen Twelve with Andrew and Peter among them. Then Jesus decides to honor one of Twelve with the keys to the Kingdom, along with the honor of building the Church upon that person’s leadership. One would think that with the enthusiasm for the Truth that Andrew displayed from the outset, by following John the Baptist, that Jesus would choose him but just like John the Baptist who found himself displaced by a newcomer, Andrew was displaced by Peter. Now think about how Andrew felt upon hearing Jesus acclaim: “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” He may have been tempted to say to Jesus: “Him, Lord why not me? If it hadn’t have been for me you wouldn’t even know him and he would still be fishing,” or “Lord, I’ve been actively pursuing Your Truth by following John the Baptist, the one responsible for preparing Your way. Peter was no where in sight when all of this was happening.”
> Despite those temptations that may have been in Andrew’s life he did not act upon them but rather he humbly submitted to the good pleasure of Jesus’ will and as if to speak the words of John the Baptist in silence he inwardly prayed: “He must increase in importance while I must decrease in importance.” Andrew’s time with John the Baptist was not in vain for he learned much from him as is seen in the Gospels and so to celebrate the feast of St. Andrew is in some sense to celebrate John the Baptist. St. John the Baptist can be proud of the formative role that he played in the life of this young Servant of Unity, Andrew, brother of Simon also called Peter.
> So as we come before the table of the Lord, the table where we become one in the Lord let us strive to bring that same unity to our homes, neighbourhoods and every place we are called to go.
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