Saint Andrew, Apostle (Feast)

They left their nets and followed him. 

Peter and Andrew’s decision to leave their nets—along with their family, friends, and everything else—can seem incredible to us.   How did they find the faith and courage to make such a bold choice?

They had a personal encounter with Jesus.   On their own, they would never have made such a decision.   Andrew, whose feast we celebrate today, would never have gone on to preach the gospel in Greece and Turkey and die the heroic death of a martyr.   But after he experienced the love of Jesus and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, he did. Jesus’ initial invitation was compelling enough for Andrew to “come and . . . see” (John 1:39).   And once he saw, he was convinced;   he wanted to devote his life to sharing the good news he himself had begun to experience.

It’s important to know that Jesus didn’t choose Andrew and Peter at random, and he didn’t issue them generic invitations to follow him.   There must have been many other fishermen on the lake that day, but he zeroed in on these two men.   And he did it carefully;   he knew what would most resonate in their hearts.   He knew what words would help them the most, what tone of voice would be the most compelling.

This is how Jesus calls you.   He isn’t distracted or halfhearted or distant.   He reaches out in a way that he knows will touch your heart and give you confidence to answer his call.

While Jesus probably isn’t asking you to leave your family or livelihood for him, he does want you to be open to whatever it is he is asking.   It could be a call to a new way to share his good news with the people around you.   Or perhaps he is calling you to change your job so that you can spend more time with your family.   Maybe he’s inviting you to leave Netflix behind to spend more time with him.

No matter what the Lord asks of you, remember that it’s not so much about the what as it is about the who.   He wants you to know his love, a love that will transform you, just as it did St. Andrew.

“Lord, I will follow you today.   Help me to remain faithful.”

Romans 10:9-18
Psalm 19:8-11

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