Brother of Peter and the first Apostle called by Jesus; tradition says he died on an X-shaped cross.
Life
Saint Andrew was a fisherman from Bethsaida in Galilee and the brother of Simon Peter. According to John's Gospel, he was first a disciple of John the Baptist; when John pointed to Jesus, Andrew followed him and stayed with him for the day, then soon told his brother Simon, We have found the Messiah, and brought him to Jesus.
In the Gospels he appears connecting people with Jesus: he brings forward the boy with barley loaves and fish when Jesus feeds the five thousand, and he helps the Greeks who wish to see Jesus.
Tradition says he preached in Greece and other regions and was martyred at Patras on an X-shaped cross. He is patron of Scotland and of the Church of Constantinople, and the Church remembers him on November 30.
Spirituality
Andrew's spirituality is humble evangelization that brings people to Jesus. Rather than putting himself forward, he connected his brother, a child and foreign strangers with Jesus. Jesus' invitation to him, Come and see, is the starting point of every disciple.
Reflection
Andrew first shared Jesus with his own brother. As Advent approaches, who in your family would you like to invite to come to church with you?