GOD'S WORD IN DAILY LIFE
30 November/Tuesday/ Andrew, Apostle
Rom 10,9-18/Psa 19,2-3.4-5/Matt 4,18-22
By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, SVD
First Reading Romans 10:9-18
Faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ
If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved. When scripture says: those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
But they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent, but as scripture says: The footsteps of those who bring good news are a welcome sound. Not everyone, of course, listens to the Good News. As Isaiah says: Lord, how many believed what we proclaimed? So faith comes from what is preached, and what is preached comes from the word of Christ. Let me put the question: is it possible that they did not hear? Indeed they did; in the words of the psalm, their voice has gone out through all the earth, and their message to the ends of the world.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 18(19):2-5
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes known the message.
No speech, no word, no voice is heard
yet their span extends through all the earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.
Gospel Acclamation Matt 4:19
Alleluia, alleluia!
Follow me, says the Lord,
and I will make you into fishers of men.
Alleluia!
Gospel Matthew 4:18-22
'I will make you fishers of men'
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast in the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ And they left their nets at once and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. At once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.
Reflection
The Gospel Reading mentions Andrew as one of the first four close collaborators of Jesus. The Matthean version of the account holds that Andrew was called together with his brother Peter. They were at their work as fishermen when Jesus called them. The invitation of Jesus is very clear: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” This is a clear invitation with a purpose. Jesus wanted those he called to come after him or to follow him. Those called to follow him were not to be mere supporters of his mission. They were called to follow after him in the Jewish sense of the expression. They were to follow him in the manner of the rabbis and their disciples. In this form of following someone, it is not only the teaching that matters but also the imitation of the example of the master.
The call to follow Jesus is accompanied by a promise to equip them for the work to which he calls them. This is expressed by the use of the word “make”. They were to be made into disciples. They were to become themselves fishers of men, winning new subjects for God’s rule. Jesus used the example of fishing because the people he called had been fishermen by occupation so it was easier for them to see their new mission in a familiar terminology. In a way, when they follow Jesus, they would continue to be fishermen but this time they would be fishing human beings. This aspect of their calling shows the complete commitment which their involvement with Jesus would demand. They are called to join Jesus in his mission of the proclamation of the kingdom of God.
Andrew, just like the other three companions at the lakeside, accepted this invitation and followed Jesus. We do not hear much about him in the Gospel of Matthew but we are made to understand that he was steadfast in his commitment to being a disciple of Jesus. Tradition tells us that he died a martyr’s death by crucifixion. On his feast day, we pray that through his intercession, we may also be faithful disciples of Christ, proclaiming the kingdom of God to all peoples.