In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Beloved brethren, children of the Light, sons and daughters of the Heavenly Kingdom:
Today, we gather beneath the vaulted firmament of the Church to celebrate the memory of Andrew the First-Called, the great Apostle, the net-caster of men, the herald of the Gospel to the nations. As the sun rises in the East and brings warmth to all creation, so did the call of the Master fall first upon Andrew, who heard the voice of the Lord and followed without delay.
Behold, the mystery of divine calling: when John the Forerunner pointed and said, Behold the Lamb of God, Andrew did not hesitate. He turned his gaze from the passing world to the Eternal Word made flesh. He who had once cast his nets upon the Sea of Galilee now cast the net of faith, and he drew into its embrace his own brother, Simon Peter, saying: We have found the Messiah.
O noble Andrew! First among the called, yet humble among the brethren. You walked the shores of Palestine, but your heart soared into the heavens. You drank deeply of the words of Life from the lips of the Savior, and your soul was illumined by the uncreated Light.
In his zeal, Andrew traversed far lands: to Scythia, to Byzantium, to the edges of the known world, sowing the seed of the Gospel where thrones and idols held sway. Upon the cross shaped like an X — the sign of humility and patient suffering — he offered his life as a sweet-smelling sacrifice. Even upon that blessed wood, his voice became a hymn: O Cross most precious, long have I desired thee!
Beloved faithful, as we behold his image, arms outstretched upon the cross, we are reminded that true apostleship is marked not by power or position, but by obedience, by sacrifice, and by love that knows no limit. The Rhominoi remember that from Andrew’s mission sprang forth the Holy Church of Constantinople, the Queen of Cities, the pearl of Orthodoxy. His spiritual children carried the torch he lit, and the light of Christ shone brightly across empires and ages.
Let us therefore imitate the holy Andrew:
— When the Lord calls, let us arise quickly.
— When others doubt, let us bring them to Jesus as Andrew brought Peter.
— When trials come, let us embrace the cross, knowing that its arms open the gate of Paradise.
Through the prayers of Saint Andrew the First-Called, may we too become fishers of men, casting the net of the Gospel in these latter days, awaiting the dawn of the unending Kingdom.
Glory be to Jesus Christ.
Glory forever.
Amen.
