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Gospel: Matthew 4: 18-22
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.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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I’m sure we all have a favorite portrait or frame hanging in our home.
Mine is a picture of Jesus. It hangs in my living room. I see it every time I walk in through the front door.
Think of your favorite picture. Why did you choose it? Where does it hang? What does it depict?
Surely something about that picture provokes a memory, a thought, or an emotion, much as my picture of Jesus provokes love out of me.
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One thing we probably never think about is the nail behind the picture. Once it goes into the wall and latches onto the frame, it’s no longer visible. So, we forget about it.
But without that nail, your picture would never hang. It’d slide down the wall, shattering the glass on the ground.
Nails serve two purposes: to bring two separate objects together – in this case, a picture to a wall – and to provide enduring support, holding the frame up.
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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle. Think of Andrew like a nail. His purpose was to bring people to Jesus, then to provide them with enduring support.
In fact, Andrew introduces more people to Jesus in the Gospels than anyone else.
In his zeal for souls, he provides a model for every Christian to follow.
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Like Andrew, how do I connect souls with Christ? And how do I offer them enduring support?
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Saint Andrew, the great connector, pray for us!
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Image credits: (1) Duccio di Buoninsegna (2) Popular Mechanics, How to Hang a Picture (3) Let Me Introduce You to Jesus, Devotional Reading Plan