St Andrew, Apostle
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 18(19):2-5
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
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.
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
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.
Their word goes forth through all the earth.
or
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.
____________________________
Following the footsteps of St. Andrew
Today, we celebrate the Feast of St. Andrew, who calls us to follow his example of responding to Christ’s call in this time of Advent. In the gospel passage, Jesus walked by the lake and saw two brothers, Peter and Andrew. He told these two brothers, “Come after me and I will make you fishers of people”. Both of them did not procrastinate but immediately left everything and followed Jesus.
Advent is a time to listen to Jesus as He calls us again, “Follow me”. Jesus calls us to follow Him in the ordinary moments of our day, such as spending time with a friend who is feeling down, investing our energy to do a job well, reaching out to a neighbour in need, etc. He calls us to follow Him in this mission of love. Do we hear Him calling? The fishermen heard Jesus’ call and immediately responded. What about us? Let us not put any excuses of “maybe later”, “tomorrow”, or “I am not ready…”, but to respond to Jesus with trust and generosity.
Question for reflection:
What prevents me from listening and responding to Jesus’ call, “Follow me”?
What prevents me from listening and responding to Jesus’ call, “Follow me”?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B/C” by Sr. Sandra Seow FMVD.
