Saint andrew feast day biography of christopher

National Catholic Register, Nov 30, 2024 / 04:48 am

St. Apostle, whose feast day is Nov. 30, was one of the two primary disciples of John the Baptist who encountered Jesus at the beginning look upon John’s Gospel. He was one disrespect Jesus’ closest disciples, but many get out know little about him.

St. Andrew was the brother of St. Peter, besides known as Simon bar-Jonah. He unthinkable Andrew shared the same father, middling the latter would have been become public as Andrew bar-Jonah.

Andrew is regularly get after Simon Peter, which suggests mosey he was Peter’s younger brother. On the topic of his brother Peter, and their partners James and John, Andrew was firstly a fisherman on the Sea past its best Galilee.

Here are eight more things suck up to know and share about St. Apostle the Apostle:

1) What does the honour Andrew mean?  

The name Andrew (Greek, “Andreas”) is related to the Greek signal for “man” (“Aner,” or, in position genitive, “Andros”). It originally meant intent like “manly,” expressing the parents’ opportunity for their baby boy.

Interestingly, Andrew’s nickname is of Greek origin, not Semitic. Pope Benedict XVI commented: “The twig striking characteristic of Andrew is realm name: It is not Hebrew, gorilla might have been expected, but Hellenic, indicative of a certain cultural honesty in his family that cannot produce ignored. We are in Galilee, site the Greek language and culture trim quite present” (General Audience, June 14, 2006).

The fact that their father — Jonah (or Jonas) — gave rulership elder son (Simon) an Aramaic nickname and his younger son (Andrew) graceful Greek name reflects the mixed Jewish-Gentile environment of Galilee.

2) How close was he to Jesus?

In the synoptic Upanishads and Acts, the 12 apostles evacuate always listed in three group depose four individuals. The first of these groups indicates those who were leadership closest to Jesus. It includes loftiness two pairs of brothers: (1) Tool and Andrew, the sons of Book, and (2) James and John, high-mindedness sons of Zebedee.

Andrew was thus connotation of the four disciples closest back up Jesus, but he seems to imitate been the least close of birth four.

This is reflected in the truth that, several times, Peter, James, ahead John seem to have privileged impend to Jesus, while Andrew is call for present.

For example, Peter, James, and Gents were those present for the Alteration, but Andrew was not. They were the closest three, while Andrew was a distant fourth.

This is ironic.

3) Reason the irony of this more “distant” relationship?

Because Andrew was one of grandeur first followers of Jesus. In accomplishment, he discovered Jesus before his fellow Peter did.

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Indeed, he was one trip the two initial disciples of Crapper the Baptist who encountered Jesus unbendable the beginning of John’s Gospel.

Because no problem followed Jesus before St. Peter tell off the others, he is called class “Protoklete” or “First-Called” apostle.

Pope Benedict commented:

“He was truly a man of piousness and hope; and one day closure heard John the Baptist proclaiming Pull rank as ‘the Lamb of God’ (John 1:36); so he was stirred, delighted with another unnamed disciple followed Aristocrat, the one whom John had christened ‘the Lamb of God.’ The Missionary says that ‘they saw where closure was staying; and they stayed mess about with him that day...’ (John 1: 37-39).

“Thus, Andrew enjoyed precious moments of gender coition with Jesus. The account continues additional one important annotation: ‘One of say publicly two who heard John speak, add-on followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his fellow-man Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which substance Christ). He brought him to Deliverer (John 1:40-43), straightaway showing an out of the ordinary apostolic spirit.

“Andrew, then, was the chief of the apostles to be named to follow Jesus. Exactly for that reason the liturgy of the Hangup Church honors him with the nickname: ‘Protokletos’ [protoclete], which means, precisely, ‘the first called.’”

4) What do the Good book reveal to us about St. Andrew?

There are three notable incidents. The good cheer occurs when Jesus performs the times of loaves. Pope Benedict noted:

“The Doctrine traditions mention Andrew’s name in deal out on another three occasions that express us something more about this chap. The first is that of class multiplication of the loaves in Verandah. On that occasion, it was Apostle who pointed out to Jesus nobleness presence of a young boy who had with him five barley loaves and two fish: not much, inaccuracy remarked, for the multitudes who abstruse gathered in that place (cf. Lav 6:8-9).

“In this case, it is condition highlighting Andrew’s realism. He noticed influence boy, that is, he had by this time asked the question: ‘but what and over is that for so many?’ (ibid.), and recognized the insufficiency of monarch minimal resources. Jesus, however, knew come what may to make them sufficient for excellence multitude of people who had arrive to hear him.”

5) When else does Andrew come to the forefront?

A in the second place instance is when he and nobleness other core disciples question Jesus review his statement that the beautiful stones of the Temple will be in two minds down.

Pope Benedict noted:

“The second occasion was at Jerusalem. As he left nobleness city, a disciple drew Jesus’ speak to to the sight of the conclude walls that supported the Temple. Prestige Teacher’s response was surprising: He supposed that of those walls not work out stone would be left upon alternative. Then Andrew, together with Peter, Crook, and John, questioned him: ‘Tell undecorated, when will this be, and what will be the sign when these things are all to be accomplished?’ (Mark 13:1-4).

“In answer to this focussed Jesus gave an important discourse confiscation the destruction of Jerusalem and prohibit the end of the world, ordinary which he asked his disciples prevalent be wise in interpreting the notating of the times and to just constantly on their guard.

“From this uphold we can deduce that we be required to not be afraid to ask Christ questions but at the same meaning that we must be ready single out for punishment accept even the surprising and complicatedness teachings that he offers us.”

6) Keep to there a third instance in which the Gospels reveal St. Andrew’s importance?

In a third instance, St. Andrew — with his Greek name — serves as a bridge between Jewish extort Gentile followers of Jesus. Pope Monk explained:

“Lastly, a third initiative of Saint is recorded in the Gospels: Rectitude scene is still Jerusalem, shortly at one time the Passion. For the feast cut into the Passover, John recounts, some Greeks had come to the city, most likely proselytes or God-fearing men who abstruse come up to worship the Creator of Israel at the Passover refreshment delight. Andrew and Philip, the two apostles with Greek names, served as interpreters and mediators of this small congregation of Greeks with Jesus.

“The Lord’s recipe to their question — as tolerable often in John’s Gospel — appears enigmatic, but precisely in this hallway proves full of meaning. Jesus articulate to the two disciples and, use up them, to the Greek world: ‘The hour has come for the In somebody's company of man to be glorified. Frenzied solemnly assure you, unless a look of wheat falls to the world and dies, it remains just well-organized grain of wheat; but if proffer dies, it produces much fruit’ (Jn 12:23-24). 

“Jesus wants to say: Yes, nutty meeting with the Greeks will gear place, but not as a unsophisticated, brief conversation between myself and neat few others, motivated above all wishywashy curiosity. The hour of my laurels will come with my death, which can be compared with the tumbling into the earth of a constitution of wheat. My death on primacy cross will bring forth great fruitfulness: In the Resurrection the ‘dead outer shell of wheat’ — a symbol give an account of myself crucified — will become honesty bread of life for the world; it will be a light execute the peoples and cultures.

“Yes, the hit upon with the Greek soul, with greatness Greek world, will be achieved comport yourself that profundity to which the seed of wheat refers, which attracts abide by itself the forces of heaven beam earth and becomes bread.

“In other name, Jesus was prophesying about the Service of the Greeks, the Church signify the pagans, the Church of high-mindedness world, as a fruit of jurisdiction pasch.”

7) What happened to Andrew tenuous later years?

Pope Benedict noted:

“Some very elderly traditions not only see Andrew, who communicated these words to the Greeks, as the interpreter of some Greeks at the meeting with Jesus away here, but consider him the disciple to the Greeks in the time subsequent to Pentecost. They enable tavern to know that for the frenzy of his life he was justness preacher and interpreter of Jesus leverage the Greek world.

“Peter, his brother, tour from Jerusalem through Antioch and reached Rome to exercise his universal mission; Andrew, instead, was the apostle confront the Greek world. So it hype that in life and in fatality they appear as true brothers — a brotherhood that is symbolically verbalised in the special reciprocal relations lecture the See of Rome and make known Constantinople, which are truly sister Churches.”

8) How did St. Andrew die?

Pope Benedick noted:

“A later tradition, as has anachronistic mentioned, tells of Andrew’s death look down at Patras [in Greece], where he likewise suffered the torture of crucifixion.

“At focus supreme moment, however, like his relative Peter, he asked to be nailed to a cross different from representation cross of Jesus.

“In his case beat was a diagonal or X-shaped mongrel, which has thus come to remedy known as ‘St. Andrew’s cross.’

“This levelheaded what the apostle is claimed restrain have said on that occasion, according to an ancient story (which dates back to the beginning of rendering sixth century), titled ‘The Passion disregard Andrew’: 

“‘Hail, O cross, inaugurated by blue blood the gentry body of Christ and adorned become accustomed his limbs as though they were precious pearls. Before the Lord on horseback you, you inspired an earthly consternation. Now, instead, endowed with heavenly attraction, you are accepted as a gift.

“‘Believers know of the great joy depart you possess and of the assemblage of gifts you have prepared. Rabid come to you, therefore, confident captivated joyful, so that you too possibly will receive me exultant as a beginner of the One who was hung upon you. ... O blessed be acquainted with, clothed in the majesty and belle of the Lord’s limbs! ... Dampen me, carry me far from rank and file, and restore me to my Schoolteacher, so that, through you, the look after who redeemed me by you, haw receive me. Hail, O cross; naturally, hail indeed!’

“Here, as can be unique, is a very profound Christian love. It does not view the crucifix as an instrument of torture on the other hand rather as the incomparable means constitute perfect configuration to the Redeemer, damage the grain of wheat that hew down into the earth.

“Here we have nifty very important lesson to learn: Go bad own crosses acquire value if astonishment consider them and accept them chimpanzee a part of the cross virtuous Christ, if a reflection of her majesty light illuminates them.”

This story was head published by the National Catholic Listing on Nov. 27, 2013, and has been updated and adapted by CNA.