Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 11-30-05, Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

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Orthodox Feast of +Andrew the First- Called Apostle, Nov. 30

The Feast of Saint Andrew [November 30th]

From the Feast of Saint Andrew through The Nativity, say this prayer daily:

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born, of the most pure Virgin Mary , at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold, in that hour, vouchsafe, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desire, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

The Season of Advent -- 2005 -- Praying Each Day

Advent 2005 – He Comes! The King of Glory

From: Romans 10:9-18

Israel's Infidelity (Continuation)

[9] If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in
your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
[10] For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he
confesses with his lips and so is saved. [11] The scripture says, "No
one who believes in him will be put to shame." [12] For there is no
distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and
bestows his riches upon all who call upon him. [13] For, "every one who
calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved." [14] But how are men to
call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to
believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear
without a preacher? [15] And how can men preach unless they are sent?
As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good
news!" [16] But they have not all heeded the gospel; for Isaiah says,
"Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" [17] So faith comes
from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.
[18] But I ask; have they not heard? Indeed they have; for "Their voice
has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the
world."

Commentary:

9. At least from the third century B.C. we have documentary evidence
that, out of respect, the Jews did not utter the name "Yahweh" but
generally referred to God instead as "Lord". The first Christians, by
giving Christ the title of "Lord", were making a profession of faith in
the divinity of Jesus.

10. To make the act of faith, human free will must necessarily be
involved as St Thomas explains when commenting on this passage: "He
very rightly says that man believes with his heart. Because everything
else to do with external worship of God, man can do it against his
will, but he cannot believe if he does not want to believe. So, the
mind of a believer is not obliged to adhere to the truth by rational
necessity, as is the case with human knowledge: it is moved by the
will" ("Commentary on Rom, ad loc.")

However, in order to live by faith, in addition to internal assent
external profession of faith is required; man is made up of body and
soul and therefore he tends by nature to express his inner convictions
externally; when the honor of God or the good of one's neighbor
requires it, one even has an obligation to profess one's faith
externally. For example, in the case of persecution we are obliged to
profess our faith, even at the risk of life, if, on being interrogated
about our beliefs, our silence would lead people to suppose that we did
not believe or that we did not hold our faith to be the true faith and
our bad example would cause others to fall away from the faith.
However, external profession is an obligation not only in extreme
situations of that kind. In all situations--be they ordinary or
exceptional--God will always help us to confess our faith boldly (cf.
Mt 10:32-33; Lk 12:8).

14-21. To sum up what the Apostle is saying: the Jews have no excuse
for not invoking Christ as Lord, for if they do not believe in him it
is due to their rebelliousness, for the Good News has indeed been
preached to them.

14-17. The Church's work of evangelization is aimed at eliciting faith,
moving people to conversion and reception of its sacraments, in
fulfillment of the Lord's commandment, "Go into all the world and
preach the Gospel to the whole of creation. He who believes and is
baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned"
(Mk 16:15-16). The Acts of the Apostles give us a great deal of
information about this first period of evangelization which was marked
by many miracles worked by the Apostles through the power Jesus gave
them.

On the very day of Pentecost we can already see how vibrant was St
Peter's preaching and the miracles which accompanied it: "The men and
women who have come to the city from all parts of the world listen with
amazement [...]. These wonders, which take place before their very
eyes, lead them to listen to the preaching of the Apostles. The Holy
Spirit himself, who is acting through our Lord's disciples, moves the
hearts of their listeners and leads them to the faith" ([St] J. Escriva,
"Christ Is Passing By", 127). It is God himself who works these
miracles through the Apostles; it is he who, through the preaching of
Peter and the Eleven, is revealing the mysteries; and, finally, it is
he who is moving the hearts of the people. This triple divine action
leads to the hearers' act of faith. "Two things are required for
faith", says St Thomas. "First, the things which are of faith have to
be proposed [...]; second, the assent of the believer to the things
which are proposed to him" ("Summa Theologiae", II-II, q. 6, a. 1, c).

He goes on to say later that, as regards the first of these two things,
faith comes from God, who reveals truths either directly, as in the
case of the Apostles and the Prophets, or else indirectly through
preachers of the faith sent by Him (cf. Rom 10:15). Speaking of the
second, he says that in the individual's assent to the truths of faith
factors come into play which are external to the person--for example,
miracles, and preaching which expounds the truth of faith. But none of
these factors is sufficient: even though they witness the same miracle
or hear the same preaching, some believe and others do not. There must
therefore be something which moves the person interiorly; although the
person's free will must play a part, it cannot account for the act of
faith, because that act is a supernatural one; therefore, it must be
that God moves the will interiorly, by means of grace (cf. "Summa
Theologiae, ibid.").

Following Jesus' example, "every catechist must constantly endeavor to
transmit by his teaching and behavior the teaching and life of Jesus
[...]. Every catechist should be able to apply to himself the
mysterious words of Jesus: 'My teaching is not mine, but his who sent
me' (Jn 7:16)" (John Paul II, "Catechesi Tradendae", 6).

Good example is not enough: apostolic action, through the spoken word,
is called for. We have a mission to speak in God's name: his disciples
"should everywhere on earth bear witness and give an answer to everyone
who asks a reason for the hope of an eternal life which is theirs"
(Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 10).

This was what the first Christians did. "Whenever we read the Acts of
the Apostles, we are moved by the audacity, the confidence in their
mission and the sacrificing joy of the disciples of Christ. They do not
ask for multitudes. Even though the multitudes come, they address
themselves to each particular soul, to each person, one by one. Philip,
to the Ethiopian (cf. Acts 8:24-40); Peter, to the centurion Cornelius
(cf. Acts 10:1-48); Paul, to Sergius Paulus (cf. Acts 13:6-12)" ([St] J.
Escriva, "Homily" entitled "Loyalty to the Church").

Those who accept the Gospel message feel drawn towards it when those
who proclaim it also bear witness to it. "It is therefore primarily by
her conduct and by her life that the Church will evangelize the world
[...]. This law once laid down by the Apostle Paul maintains its full
force today. Preaching, the verbal proclamation of a message, is indeed
always indispensable [...]. The word remains ever relevant, especially
when it is the bearer of the power of God (cf. 1 Cor 2:1-5)" (Paul VI,
"Evangelii Nuntiandi", 41-42).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Matthew 4:18-22

The First Disciples Called

[18] As He (Jesus) walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into
the sea; for they were fishermen. [19] And He said to them, "Follow
Me, and I will make you fishers of men." [20] Immediately they left
their nets and followed Him. [21] And going on from there He saw two
other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the
boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called
them. [22] Immediately, they left the boat and their father, and
followed Him.

Commentary:

18-22. These four disciples had already met our Lord (John 1:35-42),
and their brief meeting with Him seems to have had a powerful effect on
their souls. In this way Christ prepared their vocation, a fully
effective vocation which moved them to leave everything behind so as to
follow Him and be His disciples. Standing out above their human
defects (which the Gospels never conceal), we can see the exemplary
generosity and promptness of the Apostles in answering God's call.

The thoughtful reader cannot fail to be struck by the delightful
simplicity with which the evangelists describe the calling of these men
in the midst of their daily work.

"God draws us from the shadows of our ignorance, our groping through
history, and, no matter what our occupation in the world, He calls us
in a loud voice, as He once called Peter and Andrew" ([St] J. Escriva,
"Christ Is Passing By," 45).

"This divine and human dialogue completely changed the lives of John
and Andrew, and Peter and James and so many others. It prepared their
hearts to listen to the authoritative teaching which Jesus gave them
beside the Sea of Galilee" ("ibid"., 108).

We should notice the words of Sacred Scripture used to describe the
alacrity with which the Apostles follow our Lord. Peter and Andrew
"immediately" left their nets and followed Him. Similarly, James and
John "immediately" left the boats and their father and followed Him.
God passes by and calls us. If we do not answer Him "immediately", He
may continue on His way and we could lose sight of Him. When God
passes by, He may do so rapidly; it would be sad if we were to fall
behind because we wanted to follow Him while still carrying many things
that are only a dead weight and a nuisance.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005
St. Andrew, Apostle (Feast)

First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:

Romans 10:9-18
Psalm 19:8-11
Matthew 4:18-22

Few souls understand what God would accomplish in them if they were to abandon themselves unreservedly to Him and if they were to allow His grace to mold them accordingly.

-- St Ignatius Loyola

Catholic Culture

Collect:
Lord, in your kindness hear our petitions. You called Andrew the apostle to preach the gospel and guide your Church in faith. May he always be our friend in your presence to help us with his prayers. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Recipes:

more

» Fish Cake
» Gateau Aux Noix Le Saint-André (St. Andrew's Walnut Cake)
» Haggis
» Haggis
» Salmon Primavera with Lemon Butter Sauce
» Scottish Drop Scones
» Sheep's Head
» Ship Cake
» Tandra Cakes
» Tuna Fondue

Activities:

Prayers:

November 30, 2005

Memorial of St. Andrew, apostle

Old Calendar: St. Andrew

St. Andrew was a native of Bethsaida in Galilee, a fisherman by trade, and a former disciple of John the Baptist. He was the one who introduced his brother Peter to Jesus, saying, "We have found the Messiah." Overshadowed henceforth by his brother, Andrew nevertheless appears again in the Gospels as introducing souls to Christ. After Pentecost, Andrew took up the apostolate on a much wider scale, and is said to have been martyred at Patras in southern Greece on a cross which was in the form of an "X". This type of cross has long been known as "St. Andrew's cross."

Jesse Tree ~ Noah

St. Andrew (or Andreas) the Apostle

Andrew, Peter's brother, and John were the first disciples to follow the Lord. With tender delicacy the Gospel (John 1:35-42) describes their first meeting with Jesus. Andrew did not belong to the inner circle of the apostles, Peter, James and John, and the evangelists narrate nothing extraordinary about him (John 6:8); but tradition (resting on apocrpyhal Acts) extols his great love of the Cross and of the Savior; and the Church distinguishes him both in the Mass (his name occurs in the Canon and in the Libera since the time of Pope St. Gregory I who had a special devotion to him) and in the Breviary.

The story of his martyrdom rests on the apocryphal Acts which lack historical foundation. The pagan judge exhorted him to sacrifice to the gods. Andrew replied: "I sacrifice daily to almighty God, the one and true God. Not the flesh of oxen and the blood of goats do I offer, but the unspotted Lamb upon the altar. All the faithful partake of His flesh, yet the Lamb remains unharmed and living." Angered by the reply, Aegeas commanded him to be thrown into prison. With little difficulty the people would have freed him, but Andrew personally calmed the mob and earnestly entreated them to desist, as he was hastening toward an ardently desired crown of martyrdom.

When Andrew was led to the place of martyrdom, on beholding the cross from a distance he cried out: "O good Cross, so long desired and now set up for my longing soul I confident and rejoicing come to you; exultingly receive me, a disciple of Him who hung on you." Forthwith he was nailed to the cross. For two days he hung there alive, unceasingly proclaiming the doctrine of Christ until he passed on to Him whose likeness in death he had so vehemently desired. --The legendary account of our saint's martyrdom has this value: it presents to us the mysticism of the Cross of later times.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.

Patron: Achaia; Amalfi, Italy; anglers; Burgundy; diocese of Constantinople; fish dealers; fish mongers; fishermen; gout; Greece; Lampertheim; Germany; maidens; old maids; Patras, Greece; Russia; Scotland; singers; sore throats; spinsters; University of Patras; unmarried women; women who wish to become mothers.

Symbols: Fish; Saint Andrew's cross; Cross saltire (x-shaped); V or Y shaped cross; two fishes; tall cross and book; vertical spear; primitive fish hook; fisherman's net.
Often Portrayed As: Man bound to a cross; man preaching from a cross; preacher holding some fish.

Things to Do:

Today's feast traditionally marks the end of the Church year and beginning of Advent. Advent always begins on the Sunday closest to November 30, with this day being the last possible day of the old Liturgical Year. Christmas is right around the corner. An old saying reflected this:
St Andrew the King
Three weeks and three days
before Christmas begins.
Because weddings were not allowed during Advent and Christmas and Andrew is the patron of unmarried maidens, many countries have marriage-related superstitions connected to this day. See Patron Saints Index for a few traditions.
Beginning today the Christmas Anticipatory Prayer, also known as the "Novena to St. Andrew" (Hail and Blessed be the hour...) is prayed every day until Christmas.
View some of the art depictions of St. Andrew. Here's another Gallery of Images of Andrew. Also see the Statue of St. Andrew found in the center under the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. There are 8 Churches in Rome alone dedicated to St. Andrew the Apostle.
Remember to pray for fishermen and all who make their livelihood by the sea.
Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, Russia, and Romania. The flag of Scotland (and the Union Flag and the arms and Flag of Nova Scotia) feature a saltire (X-shaped cross) in commemoration of the shape of St. Andrew's cross.
Read more about St. Andrew from Butler's Lives of the Saints. Also read about Andrew from The Golden Legend.
Foods connected with this feast: St. Andrew was a fishermen, so fish dishes and biblical themes would reign supreme. Women for Faith and Family have reprinted Evelyn Vitz's suggested "Biblical Dinner" menu. Here's another Biblical Menu. But there are other foods connected with this day:
- Scotland: St. Andrew is the patron of Scotland. Scones, haggis, sheepshead and fish dishes are traditional. The scones are called "wigs", although their shape is rectangular.
- England: St Andrew is a patron of lace-makers. On his feast, sometimes known as "Tander", areas such as Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire celebrate by feasting, drinking elderberry wine, sports and serving a special cake called the Tandra Cake, particularly in Bedfordshire. It has a bread dough base to which lard, sugar, currants, lemon peel and eggs are added. This is also a day for squirrel hunting in England, so Brunswick Stew would be another dish on the table in England.
- Slovakian Countries: Halushky (pasta dish) is cooked. Unmarried girls place slips of paper with names of single young men into the dish.

Christmas Anticipation Prayer

Beginning on St. Andrew the Apostle's feast day, November 30, the following beautiful prayer is traditionally recited fifteen times a day until Christmas. This is a very meditative prayer that helps us increase our awareness of the real focus of Christmas and helps us prepare ourselves spiritually for His coming.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
In which the Son of God was born
Of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight,
in Bethlehem,
in the piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God,
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
[hear mention your request]
through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and of His blessed Mother. Amen.

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Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	What Do You See When You Look at a Stranger?
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle
Romans 10: 9-18; Matthew 4:18-22

There is something in us human beings that inclines us time after time to define one another as either insiders or outsiders. Sometimes the distinction is racial or ethnic, sometimes it’s religious, sometimes the dividing line is economic or educational or political, or slave versus free. But whatever the cause, the lines are always there and firmly drawn. This kind of thinking has even invaded the Church at times. It was not until 1839 that a pope definitively condemned slavery. It was not until the end of Vatican Council II that the Church finally rejected the idea that there could be no salvation outside its boundaries.

St. Paul rejected that kind of thinking 2000 years ago, as we hear in today’s epistle. “There is no difference between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord, rich in mercy to all who call upon Him.” It certainly does take a long time for that truth to trickle down to the rest of us! Yet the words of Jesus in the Gospels are full of that very insight. It makes us wonder how much of the rest of Jesus’s message we may have been missing!

Jesus asks us to look at one another — without exception — through God’s eyes, and to see in each human being either a brother or a sister, a beloved child of God like ourselves, a stumbling wayfarer very much like ourselves. He asks us to extend to each of God’s children the same compassion which God our Father extends to us every day without fail.

How can we say no? Very simply, we cannot!

American Catholic’s Saint of the Day

November 30, 2005

St. Andrew

Andrew was St. Peter’s brother, and was called with him. "As [Jesus] was walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is now called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him" (Matthew 4:18-20).

John the Evangelist presents Andrew as a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus walked by one day, John said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus. "Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come, and you will see.’ So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day" (John 1:38-39a).

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 (see John 6:8-9). When the Gentiles went to see Jesus, they came to Philip, but Philip then had recourse to Andrew (see John 12:20-22).

Legend has it that Andrew preached the Good News in what is now modern Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras.

Comment:

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. That is enough. He was called personally by Jesus to proclaim the Good News, to heal with Jesus' power and to share his life and death. Holiness today is no different. It is a gift that includes a call to be concerned about the Kingdom, an outgoing attitude that wants nothing more than to share the riches of Christ with all people.

Quote:

“...[T]he Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word’” (Acts 6:2-4).

Catholic Caucus: Advent Activity - The Jesse Tree

We're inclined to divide because that division was there from before we were. We know that before man was, there were angels who fell from Grace. Even Jesus states that we are either for or against Him.

Our most important duty is to figure out how to know, love, and serve God. Knowing is the first order of this Spiritual relationship. St. Paul talks about the inclusiveness of ALL mankind under God, I suppose, to emphasize Christ's command of "love thy neighbor as thyself".

It's nothing short of miraculous that early Christian communities survived through persecutions as well as faulty economic practices (what we call Socialism today). What made Christian 'socialism' successful was that EVERYTHING was focused around Christ. Today's Socialism heresy doesn't have that focus because Humanism replaces God with the 'state'. It's a deadly form of paganism and nothing short of diabolic in nature. Thus, the miraculous survival of the Christian Culture shows that Christ was truly among them in similar fashion that Jews are truly Loved by God and they are still His Chosen!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the Gospels' final draft were written well after those Apostles for whom the Gospels were named were long since dead? Another miracle that they should even exist! If a slight detail is out of place from one Gospel to the next, the Message never schisms from the Word.

In case the world (especially those of us calling ourselves "Christian") haven't caught on, Christ's 'delaying' His imminent return should show us just a glimpse of His infinite Love and Mercy for the pagan heart...which includes Christians' hearts not in full Communion with Christ. What has been held bound by the Apostolic Church was held bound in Heaven. This is the authority of the those responsible for Christ's Teaching. Thus, if Saints are allowed to Baptize souls in Limbo and promote them into Purgatory or better, then so be it.

If we're living in the end times (as it's healthy for a soul to anticipate the end and prepare for it) then I suppose the final temptations of Satan and the wicked (including those disguised as prophets, politicians, clergy, etc.) will be to maintain an "all inclusive" 'social justice/Socialism' attitude for ALL evils and bad habits without giving the necessary loving discipline of admonishment. This "all inclusive" attitude scatters the flock from the purity of Grace needed to be in Christ's presence. It keeps souls enslaved to sinful desires not of God instead of freeing the soul from fleshly desires and unimportant worldly worries. *****Furthermore, we can know and separate this attitude via the whining similar to Judas the betrayer when he complained of how a sorrowful woman misspent her money to perfume the feet of Our Lord and Savior.*****

Personally, I need the Graceful admonishment as I'm sure all souls stained with original sin would. I'd much rather someone tell me that my fly is down before meeting Jesus with my underwear and shirt tail hanging out (maybe that's why robes are better in Heaven).

Mt 4:18-22
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
18	And Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishers).	ambulans autem iuxta mare Galilaeae vidit duos fratres Simonem qui vocatur Petrus et Andream fratrem eius mittentes rete in mare erant enim piscatores
19	And he saith to them: Come ye after me, and I will make you to be fishers of men.	et ait illis venite post me et faciam vos fieri piscatores hominum
20	And they immediately leaving their nets, followed him.	at illi continuo relictis retibus secuti sunt eum
21	And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets: and he called them.	et procedens inde vidit alios duos fratres Iacobum Zebedaei et Iohannem fratrem eius in navi cum Zebedaeo patre eorum reficientes retia sua et vocavit eos
22	And they forthwith left their nets and father, and followed him.	illi autem statim relictis retibus et patre secuti sunt eum

The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew

Master of the Brussels Initials
Italian, Bologna, 1389 - 1404
Tempera colors, gold leaf, and gold paint on parchment
Getty Museum, Los Angeles