The Feast of Saint Andrew

 On this feast of St. Andrew, I reflect upon the work of our community that mirrors the work of Andrew, for the Romans passage asks: How can people believe if they cannot hear? How can they hear without someone to preach? The church intends to call out this feature of Andrew’s ministry as a responsibility of discipleship.

 

I pondered the work of the Four Apostolic Preferences in our community and the mysterious way that we point others to Christ in our interactions and relationships. For instance, our parish work offers alternatives to standard diocesan ministry, and the words we hear from parishioners is often, “You bring us hope. You bring us an essential message about Christ that we don’t get from our priests.” In our work with the deaf, we bring the light that tells all people that no one is forgotten and all are cherished in unique ways and is visited by God. In our work of spiritual direction and counseling, we show people that those unrevealed places of woundedness can meet the compassionate touch of healing. In our vocation work, we remind both our youth and adults that the Lord is calling each person to something greater, something deeper. In our work of administration, we hold delicately threads of communal life together so that the bonds of fraternity are strengthened. In our works of healing, education, the arts, and sacred conversation, we bring to others renewed energy and strength in their resolve to change the world for the better, to bring about a more merciful justice, a call to holiness for all people of goodwill. The work of each is the work of all, and collectively we point the world to a God, who is desperate for a fuller, deepening relationship with each person we send to God.

 

From our community, the collective work is exponential, and our Preferences remind us that there are many other lives that need to be told of God. As we are in each corner of our ministry, we recognize that there are scores of other populations that we are not yet reaching, not yet touching. We are assured that, regardless of our efforts, God is in their midst, but we are asked to live up to Andrew’s call to bring others to Christ. If not us, then who? We need to continually challenge ourselves to go beyond our Catholic world in order to encounter those who need to glimpse the face of God through human features. We need to take that step beyond our customs and traditional works to say, “You are welcome. Come meet Christ.” Before we act, we need to speak. Before we speak, we need to form ideas. Before we form ideas, we might need to let Christ help us imagine new possibilities and expand our consciousness, so that we are free enough to follow where He wants us to “be.” Wherever we are, we will find Christ, and there will be someone nearby who needs us to introduce him or her to our friend.