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.
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for the continued safety of Pope Benedict in Turkey.
Today in The Church is the Feast of St. Andrew the Apostle.
One of the awesome things about St. Andrew is they way he gave his life for Our Lord. He was crucified on an "x-shaped" cross and for two days, he continued to preach about Christ. Christ called to him, "Come after me," and he did that until he truly gave his whole life in service to Our Lord.
It's an example for our own lives in our own sufferings. How do we bear our own struggles? Do we continue to see the goodness of God when times seem tough? Are we charitable when we are going through times of despair?
Try asking me these questions when I'm driving and I'm having a hard day. Try asking that question to my heart when I see someone who has hurt me. It's hard to see Christ's constant call for us to "follow Him" when we are blinded with our own self-perservation. The goes from the little everyday desire to be accepted by society to the ultimate sacrifice St. Andrew paid in shedding his blood.
Today, let us be mindful of Christ's sacrifice, and as we give thanks, let us desire to give our whole lives as Christ did and as St. Andrew did. Take care and God Bless.
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