30 November 2026 · Latin Rite
Open in the Daily Word appAlso: Syro-Malabar Rite · Syro-Malankara Rite · മലയാളം
“And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Matthew 4:19–20
Andrew stands at the threshold of the Church's year, just as he stands at the beginning of the Gospel. In John's Gospel he is the first to follow Jesus, after hearing John the Baptist say, “Look, here is the Lamb of God” (John 1:36–40). The Byzantine tradition calls him Protokletos, “the First-Called”. And his first act as a disciple is to find his brother: “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41). Andrew is the patron of everyone who brings another person to Jesus.
In Matthew, Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee and calls two fishermen brothers: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” They leave their nets “immediately”. Paul explains why such messengers matter: “How are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?… How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14–15). Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from a human voice that speaks of Christ.
Tradition says Andrew preached around the Black Sea and in Greece and was crucified at Patras, on an X-shaped cross (the saltire, now the flag of Scotland). He is the patron of the Church of Constantinople, as Peter is of Rome; the Pope and the Ecumenical Patriarch exchange delegations on the feasts of the two brothers, a sign of longing for full unity.
Theme: “We have found the Messiah.”
Andrew, the First-Called, follows at once and brings others to Jesus.
“I am now sending for many fishermen, says the LORD, and they shall catch them.” Jeremiah 16:16
“As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Matthew 4:18–20
Apply: Leave one distraction this Advent.
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”” Isaiah 6:8
“He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).” John 1:41–42
Apply: Invite one family member to Mass.
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”” Isaiah 52:7
“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.”” Mark 16:15
Apply: Share your faith with one person this week.
Someone brought us to Jesus.
Now we bring others.
Take-home resolution: Pray the St Andrew Christmas novena daily until Christmas.
Dear brothers and sisters, on the second day of Advent we celebrate St Andrew, the brother of Peter. The Eastern Church calls him “the First-Called”, because he was among the first two to follow Jesus.
What did Andrew do after spending one day with Jesus? He ran to find his brother and said: “We have found the Messiah!” And he brought him to Jesus. That brother became St Peter. Without Andrew's invitation, would there have been a Peter?
Later, it was Andrew who brought the boy with five loaves and two fish. It was Andrew who brought the Greeks who wanted to see Jesus. Andrew is the saint of bringing people.
St Paul tells us why that matters: “How are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?” Faith is passed from person to person. Someone brought you. Who will you bring?
In the Gospel Jesus calls Andrew and Peter from their nets: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets. This Advent, what net is holding us? Too much phone, too much work, an old resentment? Leave it, and follow.
Tradition says Andrew died on an X-shaped cross, greeting it with joy. Today let us thank God for the people who brought us to faith, and let us invite one person this Advent to come and see.
Every time we meet Andrew in the Gospel, he is bringing someone to Jesus.
📖 Isaiah 52:7
📖 John 1:40–42
Apply: Pray for one family member far from faith.
📖 2 Kings 4:42–44
📖 John 6:8–13
Apply: Offer your small gift to the parish.
📖 Isaiah 49:6
📖 John 12:20–26
Apply: Invite someone to the Holy Mass this Advent.
Andrew's greatness is that he always pointed away from himself to Christ.
Every Christian is called to bring someone to Jesus.
Take-home resolution: Before Christmas I will invite one person to come with me to the Holy Mass.
Dear brothers and sisters, St Andrew is not as famous as his brother Peter. He did not write letters, and we know few of his words. But whenever we meet him in the Gospel of John, he is doing the same thing: bringing someone to Jesus.
The first time, he brings his own brother. Andrew had spent an afternoon with Jesus, and the first thing he did was to find Simon and tell him: we have found the Messiah. And he brought him to Jesus (John 1:41–42). Think of it: the rock on which Christ built His Church was brought to Christ by Andrew. Evangelisation begins at home, with brothers and sisters, parents and children.
The second time, at the feeding of the five thousand, Andrew brings a boy: there is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many? (John 6:8–9). Andrew noticed the small gift that others overlooked. Jesus took those loaves and fed the crowd. Never think your gift is too small. Bring it to Christ and let Him multiply it.
The third time, some Greeks come to Philip saying: sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip goes to Andrew, and together they bring them to Jesus (John 12:20–22). Andrew opens the door to the nations. Tradition says that he preached the Gospel in many lands and died on a cross, embracing it as a long-desired friend.
On this second day of Advent, Andrew gives us a simple programme. Bring someone to Jesus: a family member who has drifted away, a lonely neighbour, a child who has stopped praying. You do not need to be eloquent. Like Andrew, you need only to say: come and see. Invite one person to the Holy Mass this Advent.
Andrew was one of the Twelve. Today let us understand why the apostles matter for the Church today.
📖 Isaiah 6:8
📖 Matthew 4:18–22
Apply: Thank God for the faith that reached you through the apostles.
📖 Isaiah 52:7
📖 Romans 10:13–18
Apply: Speak of your faith simply to one person.
📖 Numbers 27:15–20
📖 2 Timothy 1:6
Apply: Pray for Christian unity, especially with the Orthodox Churches.
The Church is apostolic: founded on the apostles, keeping their teaching, guided by their successors.
Andrew links East and West; his feast is a call to unity.
Take-home resolution: Today I will pray for unity between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
Dear brothers and sisters, in the Creed we confess that the Church is apostolic. On the feast of an apostle it is good to understand what this means.
Jesus chose twelve men to be with Him and to be sent out to proclaim the message (Mark 3:14). They were ordinary men, fishermen like Andrew and Peter, whom He called from their nets (Matthew 4:18–22). The number twelve recalls the twelve tribes: the apostles are the foundation of the new people of God.
St Paul says that faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ; how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news (Romans 10:15–17). The faith reached us through a chain of witnesses going back to the apostles. In Kerala we gratefully remember St Thomas; in Greece and around the Black Sea, people remember Andrew.
The Church is apostolic in three ways: she is built on the foundation of the apostles; she keeps and hands on their teaching; and she continues to be taught, sanctified and guided by the apostles through their successors, the bishops, in union with the successor of Peter (CCC 857, 861–862). This is why we can be sure that the faith we receive today is the faith of the apostles.
Andrew is also a bridge. The Church of Constantinople honours him as its founder, just as Rome honours Peter. Every year on this day a delegation from Rome visits the Ecumenical Patriarch. Peter and Andrew were brothers; their Churches are sister Churches, still not in full communion. Let us pray today, at this Holy Mass, that the brothers may be fully reunited, and that we may be faithful to the faith of the apostles.
Children, St Andrew was a fisherman. One day he met Jesus and was so happy!
Do you know what he did? He ran to his brother and said: “I found Jesus! Come and see!”
Andrew teaches us to share Jesus with our friends and family.
This week, invite a friend to pray with you or come to church!
We humbly implore your majesty, O Lord, that, just as the blessed Apostle Andrew was once a preacher and pastor for your Church, so he may be for us a constant intercessor before you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
On the feast of St Andrew the readings tell of a call and a sending. In Matthew, Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee and calls two pairs of brothers, Andrew and Peter first, and “immediately they left their nets and followed him”. In Romans, Paul explains why such sending matters: people cannot call on the Lord unless they believe, cannot believe unless they hear, and cannot hear unless someone is sent. The psalm gives the verse Paul quotes: “Their voice has gone out through all the earth.”
Andrew is the first-called, and the one who brings others to Jesus. The key words of the day are calling, following and sending.
Setting.
Romans 9–11 is Paul's long reflection, written with sorrow, on why many of his own people, Israel, have not yet accepted Jesus as Messiah, while Gentiles have. Chapter 10 says that salvation is open to all through faith in the Lord Jesus, “for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek”. Paul then asks how the message reaches people at all, and answers with a chain of questions. Chapter 11 will insist that God has not rejected his people (11:1–2).
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (10:9)
Lips and heart, confession and faith, belong together. The content is the heart of the Gospel: Jesus is Lord, and God raised him.
“But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?” (10:14)
“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (10:15)
In Isaiah 52:7 these are the feet of the messenger running across the mountains to announce the end of exile. Paul applies them to the apostles.
“So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” (10:17)
A note on the text: some manuscripts read “the word of God”. The oldest witnesses, followed by the NRSV, the Vulgate and the POC, read “of Christ”.
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” (10:18)
Psalm 19 speaks of the heavens declaring God's glory without words. Paul applies it to the preaching of the Gospel, and so the Church often sings this psalm on feasts of the apostles.
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism quotes Romans 10:14–15 to teach that no one, no individual and no community, can proclaim the Gospel to himself; the ministers of the Church are sent by Christ (CCC 875). It also teaches that by calling Jesus “Lord”, the first confessions of the Church's faith affirm that the honour due to God the Father is due also to Jesus (CCC 449). Pope St Paul VI wrote that the Church exists in order to evangelise (Evangelii Nuntiandi 14).
Setting.
After his baptism and the temptations, Jesus moves to Capernaum on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, fulfilling Isaiah's promise of light for “Galilee of the Gentiles” (4:12–16). He begins to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (4:17). His first act after that is to call disciples.
Fishing on the lake was hard work, often done at night, and it was a family business. Mark notes that Zebedee had hired men (Mark 1:20). John's Gospel adds that Andrew and Peter came from Bethsaida (John 1:44), and that Andrew had first been a disciple of John the Baptist and had met Jesus earlier near the Jordan (John 1:28, 35–42).
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea” (4:18)
The net here (amphiblēstron) is a circular casting net, thrown by a man standing in the water or in a boat. Andrew stands beside his more famous brother; in the lists of the Twelve he is always among the first four.
“Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” (4:19)
Jesus does not ask them to stop being fishermen but to become a new kind of fisherman. Their skills of patience, teamwork and endurance are taken up into the mission.
“Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (4:20)
“Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.” (4:22)
The second pair leaves more: not only tools but family. The call reorders every bond, without abolishing love for parents.
How the Church reads it.
In the Gospel of John, Andrew is the first to follow Jesus and the first to bring someone else: he finds his brother Simon and says, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41). Later he brings the boy with five loaves (John 6:8–9) and, with Philip, brings some Greeks to Jesus (John 12:20–22). For this reason the Byzantine tradition calls him the Protoklētos, the First-called. Pope Benedict XVI, in a catechesis on St Andrew in 2006, noted that his name is Greek and saw him as a sign of the openness of the apostolic mission to the Greek world (in substance).
The Catechism teaches that Jesus chose the Twelve to be with him and to be sent out to preach (CCC 858), and that every Christian vocation is also a vocation to share in that mission (CCC 863).
Did Andrew meet Jesus first by the Jordan (John 1) or in Galilee (Matthew 4)?
Both accounts can stand together. John tells of a first meeting near the Jordan, where Andrew, a disciple of the Baptist, spent a day with Jesus. Matthew tells of the decisive call some time later in Galilee, when Andrew left his work to follow Jesus for good.
Why is St Andrew pictured with an X-shaped cross?
An ancient tradition says that Andrew preached in Greece and was crucified at Patras in Achaia. The X-shaped cross (the saltire) comes from later medieval tradition. An old account of his martyrdom says that he greeted the cross with joy as the instrument of union with his Master (in substance).
Why is St Andrew important for Christian unity?
Andrew is the patron of the Church of Constantinople, as Peter is of Rome. Each year a delegation of the Holy See visits the Ecumenical Patriarch for the feast of St Andrew, and the Patriarchate sends a delegation to Rome for Sts Peter and Paul on 29 June. The two brothers pray together for their Churches.
The feast of St Andrew stands at the doorway of Advent: the First Sunday of Advent falls on the Sunday nearest to this day. In Kerala, St Andrew's Basilica at Arthunkal in the Latin diocese of Alleppey is dedicated to him. Many Latin Catholics also begin today the popular “St Andrew Christmas Novena”, a short prayer repeated daily until Christmas, asking God to grant our requests through the merits of Jesus and his Blessed Mother. St Andrew teaches the Latin reader that the Advent hope is not kept to oneself: like Andrew, we bring others to Jesus.