“Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John has said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was run to his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah.’ And he brought him to Jesus” ~John 1: 40-42.
November 30th is the feast of St. Andrew. St Andrew was an apostle of Jesus and the brother of Simon Peter. Although, Andrew is only mentioned a handful of times in the Gospels, he is still a very important apostle. The times when he was mentioned was first, when he brings Simon Peter to Jesus, and second, during the feeding of the five thousand. Andrew was the apostle who brought the boy to Jesus with the loaves and fish. Other than that, Andrew blends in with the crowd. Of course, he is not one of Christ’s “big three”: Peter, James, and John. In addition, Andrew was neither a pope nor an evangelist. He was not present for private miracles like the transfiguration. Yet, Andrew has a unique and crucial role in the history of our Church.
Andrew brought his brother to Jesus.
How interesting is this: Jesus did not go to Peter? Jesus knew, through His entire ministry, that He would eventually name Peter the rock of His Church. To any of us, it seems obvious He would go find Peter first. Who would start a task without the most important piece of the puzzle? But Jesus did not go to Peter. He let Andrew bring his brother. Christ allowed Andrew to be part of His plan, and let Peter be led by someone he trusted.
We have found the Messiah.
Not all of us will have a role like Peter, James, or John. But all of us are meant to follow Andrew. We bring our loved ones to the Messiah, bring them to truth. If we have found the light to pursue, we should bring others to it as well. Whether by quiet example or loud conversation, we should tell our brother we have found the Messiah. It is our duty as Catholics to profess our faith openly with our lives. People should look at us and know we are different in our attitudes, words, and relationships. Everything we do should be directed towards leading others to the Messiah we have found. We are made for the greater glory of God, and we cannot keep that a secret.
