November
30
Saints of the Day...and Events
St. Andrew the Apostle
The first Apostle, who brought his brother Peter to Jesus. He
preached in Scythia,
Greece, Russia and Poland, and died on an X-shaped Cross from which
he preached for two days
The first Apostle. Saint Andrew was
one of the fishermen of Bethsaida, and was the brother of Saint Peter. He
became a disciple of Saint John the Baptist. When called himself by Christ on
the banks of the Jordan, his first thought was to go in search of his brother,
and he said to Peter, “We have found the Messiah!” and brought him
to Jesus.
It was Saint Andrew who, when Christ wished
to feed the five thousand in the desert, pointed out a little lad with five
loaves and a few fishes.
After Pentecost, Saint Andrew went forth
upon his mission to plant the Faith in Scythia and Greece
and possibly areas in modern
Russia
and
Poland.
And, at the end of years of toil, to win a
martyr’s crown at Patrae in Achaia,
Martyred
on an saltire (x-shaped) cross
When Saint Andrew first caught sight of the gibbet
on which he was to die, he greeted the precious wood with joy. “O good cross!”
he cried, “made beautiful by the limbs of Christ, so long desired, now so
happily found! Receive me into thy arms and present me to my Master, that He who
redeemed me through thee may now accept me from thee!” After suffering a cruel
scourging he was left, bound by cords, to die upon this diagonal cross.
For two whole days the martyr remained hanging on it, alive, preaching with
outstretched arms from this chair of truth, to all who came near, and entreating
them not to hinder his passion.
Reflection: If we would do good to
others, we must, like Saint Andrew, receive our cross with loving gratitude and
not desire to be separated from it, until God so wills. To “take up our cross”
is Jesus’ command; are we perhaps dragging ours?
There are several explanations for why Andrew became
the patron of
Scotland.
- In
345,
Emperor
Constantine the
Great decided to translate Andrew's bones from Patras to
Constantinople.
Saint Regulus was instructed by an
angel
to take many of these relics to the far northwest. He was eventually told to
stop on the Fife coast of
Scotland,
where he founded the settlement of Saint Andrew.
- In the
7th century,
Saint Wilfrid brought some of the saint's relics with him after a
pilgrimage
to
Rome.
The Scots king, Angus MacFergus, installed them at Saint Andrew's to enhance
the prestige of the new
diocese.
- When the Pictish
King
Angus faced a large invading army, he prayed for guidance. A white cloud in
the form of a saltire cross floated across the blue sky above him. Angus won a
decisive victory, and decreed that Andrew would be the patron saint of his
country. Following Robert Bruce's victory at the Battle of Bannockburn in
1314,
the Declaration of Arbroath officially named Saint Andrew the patron saint of
Scotland.
The Saltire became the national flag of
Scotland
in
1385.
- Born at Bethsaida
Died
crucified
on a saltire (x-shaped) cross in
Greece
Name Meaning strong, manly
Storefront
Commercial Links related to Saint Andrew [11 medals, 1
holy card, 1 cross, 1 plaque]
Images
Gallery of images of Saint Andrew
Additional Information
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/sta12002.htm
http://www.magnificat.ca/cal/engl/11-30.htm
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Readings After Andrew had stayed with Jesus and had learned much from
him, he did not keep this treasure to himself, but hastened to share it with
his brother Peter. Notice what Andrew said to him: "We have found the Messiah,
that is to say, the Christ." Notice how his words reveal what he has learned
in so short a time. They show the power of the master who has convinced them
of this truth. Andrew's words reveal a soul waiting with the utmost longing
for the coming of the Messiah, looking forward to his appearing from heaven,
rejoicing when he does appear, and hastening to announce to great an event to
others. To support one another in the things of the spirit is the true sign of
good will between brothers, loving kinship and sincere affection. from
a homily on the Gospel of John by Saint
John Chrysostom
Events of November 30 -
Saints of November 30:
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Dominguez, M.D. Last edition: September 11, 2004