"How can they hear without someone to preach?" (Romans 10:15).
Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle
Rom 10:9-18; Matt 4:18-22
St. Paul knew well how faith in Christ spread. Preachers filled with faith were sent to audiences primed by the Holy Spirit to hear deep in their hearts the eternal questions about human identity and purpose before God. When Word and Spirit came together, hearts overflowed with joy and confidence. "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom 10:9).
St. Paul had witnessed the growth of communities of faith across Asia Minor when he proclaimed the Good News both Jews and gentiles longed to hear. Today's commemoration of St. Andrew, one of the original Apostles, tells the same story. Jesus called fishermen to cast a wide net into the sea of the world. Andrew, a follower of John the Baptist, was one the first to hear, and he invited his brother Peter to come and hear Jesus.
We are all evangelists. Pope Francis has emphasized that people are not argued into believing but attracted by believers. This is our role, to make our faith visible and attractive, a life worth living because it is beautiful and true. Even to attract a single person can have unlimited potential to attract others, as evidenced by the rapid growth of the early church.
Who attracted you to faith? How deep is your faith? Is it visible to others? Will you be beautiful and true today? The Holy Spirit will do the rest.
