DAILY HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 34TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – CYCLE A
CYCLE A: HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 34TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
HOMILY THEME: Jesus Tweets: “Follow Me” and Andrew Left Everything Else Behind.
BY: Fr. Evaristus Abu
_“Immediately, they left the boat and their father, and followed him.” *Matthew 4:22*_
Each time I read today’s Gospel passage, I cannot but wonder how it so happened that some grown up men would abandon their Father, their entire fishing career and what brings them money to go after a total stranger simple because he said: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”?
How many of us would leave everything behind to follow Jesus like Andrew, Simon and the two sons of Zebedee?
Mind you, leaving everything behind may not mean literally abandoning our means of livelihood, it is actually a matter of generosity and availability for the things of God. How many of us are willing to sacrifice our time, our intelligence, our money, our resources, our connections, etc. for the sake of God’s kingdom?
Jesus said to them: “Follow me…” In this world of social media, to follow a person is much more than walking behind that person. If I follow you on twitter, facebook, whatsapp and so on, it means that I get an alert on my phone or become one of the first persons to know whatever content you put on your wall or page.
We don’t just follow anybody, we follow those we respect, those we admire, those we want to emulate and those we believe can make us better persons. We follow popular celebrities, comedians, rich and successful businessmen and women, political analysts, footballers, musicians, news presenters and so on. The question is: “Amongst all those I follow daily, is Jesus one of them?” How often do I take time to follow Jesus by reading the Bible daily?
Today’s Gospel passage comes from Matthew. In John’s account, we are told that Andrew was the first person to be called by Jesus and he was the one who went to tell his brother Peter about Jesus. Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus and went to the background. Not much is heard about Andrew but Peter became the first Pope. Andrew also introduced the boy who had five loaves and two fish to Jesus. Andrew was fond of introducing people to Jesus.
This characteristic of Andrew is what I call basic evangelisation. You don’t have to do the preaching, just invite as many persons as you can to join you in studying the Bible, just introduce people to Jesus, let Him do the talking and you will be amazed at that would become of them.
Just as Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus, the Feast of St. Andrew introduces the Church to the season of Advent. If you notice, advent is always the closest Sunday to the feast of St. Andrew, once you know this, you can even plan the church’s calendar for the next ten years and you will not miss. Andrew’s feast introduces us to begin our preparation for the baby Jesus.
St. Paul in today’s first reading says: “How beautiful are the feet of one who brings Good News.” Indeed, how beautiful were the feet of Andrew when he ran immediately to tell Simon Peter: “We have found the Messiah.” How beautiful are the feet of St. Andrew today as he announces to the Church: “Advent is here! Prepare your hearts for Jesus!” Indeed, how beautiful are your feet, hands, lips etc. when you talk to people about Jesus!
Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, use me like Andrew to bring people to you. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Feast of St. Andrew. Bible Study: Romans 10:9-18, Psalm 19:8-11 and Matthew 4:18-22).
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