THE FIRST FISHER OF MEN

It bothers me when the tradition I’ve grown up with can’t speak with the language of scripture. That’s a problem. The almost universal indifference to the significance of this day is a case in point.

St. Paul tells us in Eph 2:20 that the church was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. If I were asked to identify the church’s foundation, I’d almost certainly answer- “Christ.” That’s not what scripture says, however. The foundation of the church is explicitly declared to be…men. Now, that’s the sort of thing that gets caught in my reformed throat.

Today marks the anniversary of the death of St. Peter’s older brother, Andrew. He was the first of those twelve living stones that Jesus gathered around himself. Today is St. Andrew's day. His life, work and teachings are an indispensible part of the underpinnings of the church. Today we thank God for giving us this fisherman, and we tell our children that his story belongs to them and their's to him.

Make sure to read the account of his calling to your family tonight. Maybe fish could make onto the menu this evening. You can be sure that this dear brother ate more than his share of fish.

St. Chrysostom marveled in this way:

Has anyone ever seen a simple fisherman catch people like fish? O, how great is the power of the crucified Christ! O, how great is the beauty of Divinity! There is nothing in the world as supreme as apostolic grace. Human life has seen much that is truly extraordinary and surpasses understanding. It saw Noah's ark remain afloat during the deluge and the destruction of mankind. It saw Moses commanding the elements. It saw water made hard as rock and the bottom of the sea opening up. It saw manna being sent from heaven in place of bread. It saw the movement of the sun being stopped by human prayer, and the day made longer by the prayers of Joshua. It saw a chariot fleeting through the air, and the prophet Elias carried away in it. Human life has seen many such great and amazing events. But there has never been anything like the apostles. They, being the servants of the Word, communed with the One Who, as God, cannot be depicted. They followed in the footsteps of the One Who is everywhere. They sat together with the One Who cannot be contained anywhere. They heard the voice of the One Who created everything with His Word. They traveled all over the world. They destroyed idols like savage beasts, chased away demons like wolves. They united the Church into a flock, they gathered the faithful like wheat. They weeded out heresies like chaff and sowed the word of God like the good seed...O, the great glory of Andrew! O, the depth of Apostolic wisdom! O, the fullness of his love! Let us glorify, dear brethren, this wondrous Apostle, and let us love the One Whom he had found, Christ the Messiah.

-- St John Chrysostom, Eulogy to St Andrew the First-Called Apostle HT: Orthodixie