My Thoughts 30/11/2021

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Andrew.

When Jesus saw him, and his brother Simon Peter making a cast in the lake with their nets, he said to them, “Follow me”. What was he asking of Andrew and his brother when he said,

“Follow me”?

If you have a Twitter account you have those you follow and those who follow you. I have an account which I hardly use.

I have 36 followers. Pope Francis Twitter feed has 18.8m followers, Ed Sheeren has 56k followers, Bishop Robert Barron has 185.6k followers but Barack Obama has 130.3m followers. Being a follower on twitter means that you are subscribing to their Tweets. Their updates will appear in your Home timeline, and that person can send you direct messages.

For Andrew and Peter to follow Jesus meant that they embarked on a radical change in their life.

“They left their nets at once”

because they were willing to answer the invitation of Jesus to become fishers of men. After three years of being a disciple, sitting at the feet to Jesus, listening to him, absorbing his teaching, they became men who were sent out, as apostles.

Tradition tells us Andrew preached in Greece, that he founded the see of Byzantium, later Constantinople and that he was crucified at Patras in Greece on an X shaped (saltire in heraldic terms) cross.

Like Andrew we are all invited by Jesus to follow him and become missionary. This doesn’t mean to press the “follow” button on a Jesus Twitter feed. It is means allowing him to lead us and send us as missionary disciples.

Lord, help me to have the courage to follow you. Lead me, so that I may be your apostle like St. Andrew.