Tuesday Gospel Reflection written by Sr. Rosemary Finnegan, O.P.
Gospel readings from: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/113021.cfm
The last line of the first reading says:
Their voice has gone forth to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.
There is someone whose voice is heard around much of the world, and I’d venture to say many here are very familiar with this voice. It’s the voice of Karen Jacobsen, and if you don’t know her name, you might know her as the voice of your car’s GPS system. She’s the Australian woman who calmly tells you to turn left and go 1.8 miles. In an interview once, she said it surprises her what a big part of people’s lives her GPS voice is. Even though she knows she’s just a voice in a machine, she feels like she’s connecting with people all over the world.
Today is the feast of St. Andrew who used his voice to give directions to others on how to live the spiritual life. He pointed the way to the Lord as our ultimate destination. It was a simple beginning. Jesus called Andrew and his brother Peter in the midst of their daily work as fishermen. In this humble setting, their relationship to with Jesus and their call as disciples began. We know the rest of that story. They stayed with Him all the time. Jesus promised to make them fishers of men and women, and, convinced and convicted, they left their fishing nets for good. Because of their response to Christ, their voices have gone forth to all the earth.
We learn from the Gospel of St. John that on the occasion of the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, it was Andrew who said: "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fishes: but what are these among so many?" (John 6:8-9) And when, a few days before Our Lord's death, certain Greeks asked Philip if they might see Jesus, Philip referred the matter to Andrew as to one of greater authority.
It is believed that after Our Lord ascended into Heaven, St. Andrew went to Greece to preach the gospel. He is said to have been put to death on a cross to which he was tied, not nailed. He lived two days in that state of suffering, still preaching to the people who gathered around their beloved Apostle.
In the midst of our humble and ordinary lives, how do we use our voice? What message do we proclaim? Like St. Andrew, are our words Christlike, kindly, and compassionate?
St. Andrew, model of our discipleship, pray for us.
