Today is Nov. 30, feast of St. Andrew, apostle.
“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'” (Mt 4:18-19).
Without hesitation, Andrew leaves behind his net and his boat to follow Christ. He leaves behind his entire livelihood. It is a moment of radical surrender. But what does it really mean?
Andrew’s net represents the familiar and the safe, but also the weight of earthly cares. In the world, countless nets ensnare us, often so subtly that we do not realize we’re caught until it’s too late. Some of these nets are woven from the cords of ambition, pulling us into a relentless pursuit of money or influence that, far from satisfying, only leaves us tangled in anxiety. Others are cast by addictions or the search for fleeting pleasure, drawing us deeper into waters that leave us feeling empty and lost. These nets may seem to offer security, but they entrap us, keeping us submerged in the turbulent seas of sorrow and tears.
When Andrew accepts the call to become a “fisher of men,” he steps into a new role, one that requires courage and faith. He is now to cast out the net of the Gospel, a net that pulls souls from the waters of despair and sin into the tides of a new life. This is the true miracle of an encounter with Christ: It does not trap or bind. Jesus always lifts and transforms. Just as a fisherman brings fish from the depths of the sea to the surface, the Gospel brings souls from chaos to peace.
In the nets of the Gospel, we are drawn up from our isolation, gathered together as part of the Body of Christ, no longer isolated but embraced and brought together in charity. The net of Christ pulls us from the waters of sorrow and elevates us to a life we could never have imagined. As St. Paul wrote, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9). The life offered through Christ is a gift beyond our dreams — but we must leave our old nets behind.
Today, like St. Andrew, may we have the courage to release what binds us to this world. To allow Christ to pull us to himself in the net of the Gospel.
Prayer to St. Andrew:
We humbly implore your majesty, O Lord, that, just as the blessed Apostle Andrew was for your Church a preacher and pastor, so he may be for us a constant intercessor before you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
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