Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle

Good morning. The Gospels are fairly vague with regard to what transpired between Jesus and Andrew that first day but whatever it was it was enough for him to leave all things behind to follow Jesus. I always wonder what did Andrew see in that man, what did Jesus say to him that allowed Andrew to leave everything and not look back. Whatever Andrew saw or heard that day it was sufficient to move forward to a newness of life. The exchange between them must have truly been powerful for in just a brief time Andrew was convinced that he had found the truth, that he had “…found the Messiah, that is to say, the Christ.”

As we begin Advent we too can move forward to a newness of life; we can leave the past behind. The season of Advent is here to remind us that healing can come into our lives when we come to know that we can hand the past over to God and experience true forgiveness reconciliation, and newness of life. We can come to know what Andrew came to discover that first day long ago. We can come to know this in our marriage, in our family, and with others in our lives. We can move forward in those relationships through handing over the past hurts and disappointments to God.
 Forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves. Be good to yourself today. Make a great day!

Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle—“First Chosen.”