Celebrating St Andrew, the Apostle

Rom. 10:9-18, Mt. 4:18-22. On this day, we celebrate the Feast St Andrew, the Apostle of Christ who introduced his brother Peter to Christ. His encounter with Christ brought a turning point in his life. The first reading invites us to make ourselves available for the Good News: "They will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher..." In today's Gospel, Jesus extends this invitation of love to Andrew, an invitation that draws him into communion with God in a special way.

Jesus called Andrew just like He calls us everyday to a special mission of bringing His joy to the world. Andrew was used to a particular way of life which is fishing. The only world he knew was the world around the Sea of Galilee. The tools of his trade was boats and nets; the fruits of his labours were the fishes. He probably never imagined that his life could be any better than that until Jesus entered his life and the power of that entry made a lot of difference in his life. He had never met Jesus, yet he was willing to let go of his 'world' just to know Him deeper and have a change of perspective. We need to also go into the world to change the perspective of killings and injustice and bring joy to the world. We need to go into the world that God's love is no longer heard, the quiet joy of His love is no longer felt and the desire to do good fades. We need to approach God for help. We can only find the real joy if we allow ourselves to be found by God.

May the Lord enter into our 'world' so that we may always experience the presence of God in all our lives! Amen!! Good morning and a joyful day!!!