30th Nov, Monday (Feast of St Andrew)
I. Rom 10:9-18
II. Mt 4:18-22.Theme: Call to Be the Messengers of Christ.
Today the readings invite us to reflect on the theme, ‘Call to be the Messengers of Christ’.As we are in the threshold of the season of the Advent, it’s an invitation to become the messengers of Christ like St Andrew whose feast we celebrate today. It was St Andrew who introduced Jesus to his brother Peter saying, “We have found the Messiah” (Jn 1:41). So, he becomes the first messenger of Christ.
Little else is said about Andrew in the Gospels. Before the multiplication of the loaves, it was Andrew who spoke up about the boy who had the barley loaves and fishes. Legend has it that Andrew preached the Good News in what is now modern Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras on an X-shaped cross.As in the case of all the apostles except Peter and John, the Gospels give us little about the holiness of Andrew. He was an Apostle called personally by Jesus to proclaim the Good News, to heal with Jesus’ power and to share his life and death. All through his life he became the witness of the Gospelto share the riches of Christ with the people.
St Paul in his letter to Romans, invites everyone to reflect on the very purpose of Christian vocation. We are specially called to become the messengers of Christ, as Scripture says, “How beautiful are the feet of the messenger of Good News”. Therefore, all those who confess Jesus is the Lord will be saved. In the Gospel we see the episode of Jesus calling the Disciples to be with him, and to be sent out as the messengers of the Gospel. After the Pentecost event the disciples were empowered with the Holy Spirit and boldly witnessed the Gospel.
As we part take in this Heavenly Banquet, let us offer our entire selves into the hands of our Lord at this Alter. We allow ourselves to be broken so that we can become the worthy instruments to carry out the mission of Christian vocation and to become the messengers of Christ. Let’s always seek the intercession of our Mother Mary who stands as a model as the first messenger of Christ who carried Jesus to her cousin Elizabeth like Mary our Mother we too become the joyful messengers of the Gospel.
Bro. Santhosh Prabhu SMM
III BTH