FEAST OF ST. ANDREW, APOSTLE
Psalter: Proper / (Red)
Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11
The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
1st Reading: Rom 10:9-18
You are saved, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and, in your heart, you believe that God raised him from the dead. By believing from the heart, you obtain true righteousness; by confessing the faith with your lips, you are saved. For Scripture says: No one who believes in him will be ashamed. Here, there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord, who is very generous with whoever calls on him. Truly, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
But how can they call upon the name of the Lord without having believed in him? And how can they believe in him, without having first heard about him? And how will they hear about him, if no one preaches about him? And how will they preach about him, if no one sends them? As Scripture says: How beautiful are the feet of the messenger of good news. Although, not everyone obeyed the good news, as Isaiah said: Lord, who has believed in our preaching? So, faith comes from preaching, and preaching is rooted in the word of Christ.
I ask: Have the Jews not heard? But, of course, they have. Because the voice of those preaching resounded all over the earth, and their voice was heard, to the ends of the world.
Gospel: Mt 4:18-22
As Jesus walked by the lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come, follow me; and I will make you fish for people.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He went on from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them.
At once, they left the boat, and their father, and followed him.
Reflections
Jesus began to choose disciples to participate with Him in proclaiming the Kingdom of God and sharing God’s love and compassion with everyone. Jesus chose these men and changed their life-directions. He chose these unschooled, unsophisticated and simple fishermen to be His change agents in the world. Jesus did not call the qualified, the smart and the perfect. All he wanted from them was their readiness and willingness to be initiated and formed by his way of life. He took them as they were and patiently took them to unlearn their old ways and begin to learn what it meant to serve others without lording over them. The process was not easy and at the end, they even betrayed and abandoned him. He never gave up on them. He believed in them until the end. Jesus chooses ordinary people, like you and me, to be his followers. By His grace and mercy, he invites all to trust in Him and be his witnesses of his caring presence in the world; to believe in the truth of his word and deeds in spite of opposition and indifference to his counter-cultural values; to serve him through our loving service to those around us and to faithfully and joyfully follow wherever He leads us. Through the life-giving words and deeds of Jesus, God invites us to be his own messengers to the world today. If we respond freely to his call, God makes us his partners and grants to each of us, disciples, the compassion, power, courage, strength and joy to be “fishers of men and women today!” If we respond to him like the early disciples, he will remain faithful to us until the end.
Daily Reflection 2018
Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.
CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.
Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Copyright © 2O17
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com
