Andrew
lived a quiet and simple life
as a fisherman. He worked with
his brother Simon in the town
of Bethsaida in Galilee. One
day Jesus walked by as they
cast their nets and invited
them to become fishers of
people. Soon afterward Jesus
worked a miracle in Andrew and
Simon’s house, healing Simon’s
mother-in-law of a fever.
In the
gospels, Andrew is often shown
bringing others to Jesus. It
was Andrew who brought forward
the boy with the five loaves
and two fishes when food was
needed for the crowd. In the
Gospel of John, Andrew tells
his brother Simon, “We have
found the Messiah.” After Jesus
marched triumphantly into
Jerusalem, Andrew helped some
Greek men who wanted to speak
with Jesus.
After
the descent of the Holy Spirit,
Andrew brought others to Christ
in a new way. He became a
missionary. To this day,
several countries in far-flung
parts of the world claim to
have been visited by Andrew.
However, it isn’t known for
sure where he preached or where
he died.
Tradition says that Andrew was
crucified on an X-shaped cross,
called a “saltire cross.”
Because of legends that he
preached in Scotland, that
country put his cross on its
flag. Thistle flowers are worn
by the Scots today (November
30), the way shamrocks are worn
by the Irish on St. Patrick’s
Day and leeks are worn by the
Welsh on St. David’s Day.
Andrew is a patron saint not
only of Scotland but of Greece
and Russia as well.
