November 30, 2021

Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle

Lectionary: 684

Reading I

Rom 10:9-18

Brothers and sisters:
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
The Scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
There is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed?
And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
And how can they hear without someone to preach?
And how can people preach unless they are sent?
As it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!
But not everyone has heeded the good news;
for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?
Thus faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
But I ask, did they not hear?
Certainly they did; for

    Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
        and their words to the ends of the world.

Responsorial Psalm

19:8, 9, 10, 11

1.  (10)  The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
   or:
   R.    (John 6:63)  Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
   The law of the LORD is perfect,
       refreshing the soul;
   The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
       giving wisdom to the simple.
   R.    The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
   or:
   R.    Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
   The precepts of the LORD are right,
       rejoicing the heart;
   The command of the LORD is clear,
       enlightening the eye.
   R.    The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
   or:
   R.    Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
   The fear of the LORD is pure,
       enduring forever;
   The ordinances of the LORD are true,
       all of them just.
   R.    The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
   or:
   R.   Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
   They are more precious than gold,
       than a heap of purest gold;
   Sweeter also than syrup
       or honey from the comb.
   R.    The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
   or:
   R.    Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

Alleluia

Mt 4:19

1. Alleluia, alleluia.
   Come after me, says the Lord,
   and I will make you fishers of men.
   R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 4:18-22

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is 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.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father 
and followed him.

Reflection: UNCONDITIONAL CALL AND UNCONDITIONAL RESPONSE

The call of Andrew and the call of all the disciples have this unique feature. The call is unconditional: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people”. The response is equally unconditional, “Immediately they left their nets and followed him." This appears to be too idealistic to be true. More than trying to look into the historical happening of this scene of the call of the apostle, Andrew in this care, it is good to see the meaning of what the evangelist wanted to communicate. Postponing and ruminating the pros and cons of any call to do good is a sign that we are not willing to surrender everything. We are looking at the advantages or disadvantages we will endure due to responding to the call. Tam reminded of one little interesting incident of vocation story narrated by one of the major superiors. One of the conditions the candidate put forward for accepting to join the congregation was whether he would be allowed to use the cell phone in the convent. It sounds rather innocent, but it involves a whole lot of ties that one is not willing to leave behind given the present cultural scenario. As we grow into our vocation, be it for religious life, priesthood, married life or to live single, as someone rightly said, we take slowly and gradually back what we have given so generously at the start of our vocation. While this can be permitted, given the change in the culture of today, the start of a vocation needs some idealism even if it sounds a bit impractical and farfetched. This is true not only of a vocation to religious life and priesthood but for all walks of life. Married life must begin with the ideals of marriage. The life of a doctor should begin with the ideals of a doctor. Often the different professions are suffering a setback because this idealism is not taken into consideration even at the very start of the profession and vocation.