LIFE OF THE HOLY APOSTLE ANDREW THE FIRST CALLED

Andrew was at first a disciple of John the Baptizer along with John the Theologian. When the Forerunner pointed out Jesus as the Christ, they both became His disciples. Andrew took his brother, Saint Peter, to meet Jesus. He is called the Protokletos (the First Called) because he was the first Apostle to be summoned by Jesus into His service. Andrew and his brother Peter made their living as fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. Both men became Apostles, and while Peter symbolically came to represent the Church of the West, Andrew likewise represents the Church of the East.

The First Called, Apostle to Greece and Beyond

According to ecclesiastical tradition, Andrew began his missionary activity in the Provinces of Vithynia and Pontus on the southern shores of the Black Sea. Later he journeyed to the City of Byzantium and founded the Christian Church there, ordaining the first Bishop of Byzantium, Stachys, who was one of the 70 disciples of the Lord.

After Pentecost, Andrew taught in Byzantium, Thrace, Russia, Epiros, and Peloponnese. In Amisos, he converted the Jews in the temple, baptized them, healed their sick, built a church, and left a priest for them. In Bithynia, he taught, healed their sick, and drove away the wild beasts that bothered them. His prayers destroyed the pagan temples, and those who resisted his words became possessed and gnawed at their bodies until Andrew healed them.

The First Called, Wonderworker

In one of his several missionary journeys to Greece, Andrew visited the City of Patras. Through his preaching and the miracles of healing he performed, in the name of Jesus, many persons were converted to Christianity. Among those healed was Maximilla, the wife of the Roman Proconsul, Aegeates. Seeing this miracle of healing, Stratoklis, the highly intellectual brother of the Proconsul, also became a Christian, and Andrew consecrated and enthroned him as the first Bishop of Patras.

As a prophet, he foretold of the greatness of Kiev as a city and a stronghold of Christianity. In Sinope, he prayed for the imprisoned Apostle Matthias, and his chains fell from him and the cell door opened. The people beat Andrew, breaking his teeth, cutting his fingers, and left him for dead in a dung heap. Jesus appeared to him and healed him, telling him to be of good cheer. When the people saw him the next day, they were amazed and they believed. At another time, he raised a woman's only son from the dead.

The Crucifixion of the First Called

The conversions to the Christian Faith by members of his own family infuriated the Proconsul Aegeates, and he decided, with the urging of the idolators who advised him, to crucify Andrew. The crucifixion was carried out on an X-shaped cross with the body of the Apostle upside down so that he saw neither the earth nor his executioners, but only the sky which he glorified as the heaven in which he would meet his Lord. Aegeates had him tied to the cross in this manner so that he would live longer and suffer more.

Twenty thousand of the faithful stood by and mourned. Even then, Andrew taught them and exhorted them to endure temporary sufferings for the kingdom of heaven. Out of fear of the people, Aegeates came to remove Andrew from the cross. Andrew, however, said that Aegeates could still become a Christian, but that he had already seen Jesus and he would not allow himself to be removed from the cross. Many tried to undo the knots, but their hands all became numb. Suddenly, a heavenly light illumined Andrew for about a half hour. When it left, Andrew had given up his spirit.

His body was tenderly removed from the cross by Bishop Stratoklis and Maximilla, and buried with all of the honor befitting the Apostle. Soon countless numbers of Christians made their way to Patras to pay reverence to the grave of Andrew, and when Aegeates realized that the man he had put to death was truly a holy man of God a demon fell upon him and tormented him so powerfully that he committed suicide.

Re-burial in Constantinople

In the month of March in the year 357 the Emperor Constantine (son of Constantine The Great) ordered that the body of Saint Andrew be removed from Patras and be reinterred in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. With all the magnificence and honor of the Byzantine Empire and the Great Church of Christ at Constantinople, Saint Andrew was returned to the City that had first heard the message of Jesus Christ from his lips. Thus he became in death, as well as in life, the founder of the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople. His relics are in Constantinople along with the Apostle Luke and Timothy, the disciple of Paul, in the Church of the Apostles.

Patron Saint of Scotland

The deeds and preaching of Andrew became known in all parts of the world. According to tradition a part of the remains of Andrew were taken to Scotland, and he was chosen as the Protector of the Scottish people. The Cross of Saint Andrew also adorns the British flag where it was placed after the union of Scotland and England. The skull of Andrew was kept in Patras until the year 1460 when Thomas Paleologos, the last ruler of the Morea, brought the skull to Rome. In 1967, under the orders of Pope Paul of the Roman Church, the skull was returned to Patras with all of the pomp and dignity of the Papal State. He remains the patron saint of Russia, Scotland and Romania to this day.

The Call of Saint Andrew

Today the voice of Saint Andrew continues to call on all Christians, especially the Orthodox Christians throughout the world, who celebrate his memory on November 30th in the liturgical year. His unstilled spirit beckons across the centuries proclaiming: "The Saviour of the world has come! He is the Christ, the Son of God!" This is the call of Saint Andrew to all men for "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow" (Hebrews 13:8).

Holy Apostle Andrew, pray to God for us!

Compiled, synthesized and edited by Andrew S. Damick.

"Semuanya itu Engkau sembunyikan bagi orang bijak dan orang pandai"

(Bar 4:5-12.27-29; Luk 10:17-24)

"Kemudian ketujuh puluh murid itu kembali dengan gembira dan berkata: "Tuhan, juga setan-setan takluk kepada kami demi nama-Mu." Lalu kata Yesus kepada mereka: "Aku melihat Iblis jatuh seperti kilat dari langit. Sesungguhnya Aku telah memberikan kuasa kepada kamu untuk menginjak ular dan kalajengking dan kuasa untuk menahan kekuatan musuh, sehingga tidak ada yang akan membahayakan kamu. Namun demikian janganlah bersukacita karena roh-roh itu takluk kepadamu, tetapi bersukacitalah karena namamu ada terdaftar di sorga." Pada waktu itu juga bergembiralah Yesus dalam Roh Kudus dan berkata: "Aku bersyukur kepada-Mu, Bapa, Tuhan langit dan bumi, karena semuanya itu Engkau sembunyikan bagi orang bijak dan orang pandai, tetapi Engkau nyatakan kepada orang kecil. Ya Bapa, itulah yang berkenan kepada-Mu. Semua telah diserahkan kepada-Ku oleh Bapa-Ku dan tidak ada seorang pun yang tahu siapakah Anak selain Bapa, dan siapakah Bapa selain Anak dan orang yang kepadanya Anak itu berkenan menyatakan hal itu." Sesudah itu berpalinglah Yesus kepada murid-murid-Nya tersendiri dan berkata: "Berbahagialah mata yang melihat apa yang kamu lihat. Karena Aku berkata kepada kamu: Banyak nabi dan raja ingin melihat apa yang kamu lihat, tetapi tidak melihatnya, dan ingin mendengar apa yang kamu dengar, tetapi tidak mendengarnya."(Luk 10:17-24), demikian kutipan Warta Gembira hari ini.

Berefleksi atas bacaan-bacaan hari ini saya sampaikan catatan-catatan sederhana sebagai berikut:

• Ketika saya berkarya di Keuskupan Agung Semarang dan tinggal di Wisma Keuskupan, kami mempunyai pembantu rumah tangga yang tidak lulus SD alias nampak bodoh, tetapi jujur, cekatan, rajin dan setia dalam melaksanakan tugas pekerjaannya setiap hari. Ia juga nampak bersyukur dan berterima kasih boleh `melayani' di Wisma Keuskupan. Mengingat hal itu sungguh menyentuh hati apa yang disabdakan/didoakan oleh Yesus: ": "Aku bersyukur kepada-Mu, Bapa, Tuhan langit dan bumi, karena semuanya itu Engkau sembunyikan bagi orang bijak dan orang pandai, tetapi Engkau nyatakan kepada orang kecil. Ya Bapa, itulah yang berkenan kepada-Mu.". Orang pandai dan bijak pada umumnya hanya ngomong saja, jarang bertindak secara praktis sesuai dengan apa yang dibutuhkan dalam hidup sehari-hari. Apa yang kita butuhkan dalam hidup sehari-hari agar kita bahagia dan sejahtera rasanya adalah hal-hal atau perkara-perkara kecil dan
sederhana, bukan yang besar dan sulit berbelit-belit, misalnya makan, minum, tidur, istirahat, kebersihan kamar dan lingkungan dst.., dan yang mengusahakan atau mengerjakan hal-hal kecil dan sederhana tersebut adalah `orang-orang kecil'. Dari pembantu rumah tangga yang sederhana tersebut saya pribadi belajar dalam hal kejujuran, kecekatan, kerajinan dan kesetiaan serta kegairahan dan kegembiraan dalam melaksanakan tugas pekerjaan, dan tentu saja syukur dan terima kasih atas apa yang dialami dan sedang terjadi. Maka marilah kita perhatikan mereka yang kecil, hal-hal atau perkara-perkara kecil setiap hari. Orang-orang kecil pada umumnya mendengarkan dan memperhatikan kebutuhan hidup sehari-hari yang kecil dan sederhana tersebut. "Barangsiapa setia dalam perkara-perkara kecil, ia setia juga dalam perkara-perkara besar. Dan barangsiapa tidak benar dalam perkara-perkara kecil, ia tidak benar juga dalam perkara-perkara besar." (Luk 16:10)

• "Kuatkanlah hatimu, anak-anakku, berserulah kepada Allah; Dia yang mengirim bencana itu akan teringat kepadamu pula. Seperti dahulu angan-angan hatimu tertuju untuk bersesat dari Allah, demikian hendaklah kamu sekarang berbalik untuk mencari Dia dengan sepuluh kali lebih rajin."(Bar 4:27-29). Kutipan ini rasanya tidak hanya untuk anak-anak saja melainkan bagi kita semua. Apa yang dikatakan dalam kitab Barukh tentang bagaimana angan-angan dan gairah kita ketika hendak berbuat jahat atau berdosa, kiranya pernah kita alami atau lakukan juga. Dengan penuh gairah dan semangat, entah sadar atau tidak sadar, kita melakukan dosa atau kejahatan, sehingga kita menderita dan sengsara seperti saat ini. Tidak ada kata terlambat, marilah kita bertobat atau memperbaharui diri, `berbalik untuk mencari Dia dengan sepuluh kali lebih rajin 'dibandingkan ketika berbuat jahat atau berdosa. Mungkin ketika berbuat dosa atau jahat kita sendirian saja, tetapi jika mau bertobat atau memperbaharui diri pasti banyak orang siap membantu kita, itulah artinya `sepuluh kali lebih rajin'. Percayalah dan imanilah jika kita sungguh berkehendak untuk bertobat atau memperbaharui diri pasti kasih karunia dan kemurahan hati Allah mengalir melimpah ruah melalui kebaikan dan kemurahan hati sesame dan saudara-saudari kita, dan dengan demikian kita akan berbalik kepada Allah dengan mudah dan ringan. Kutipan diatas kiranya juga merupakan ajakan atau panggilan bagi kita semua untuk tidak hidup sendiri/menyendiri atau berjuang sendirian, melainkan bekerjasama atau bergotong-royong, saling membantu dan mengasihi sampai mati.

"Lihatlah, hai orang-orang yang rendah hati, dan bersukacitalah; kamu yang mencari Allah, biarlah hatimu hidup kembali! Sebab TUHAN mendengarkan orang-orang miskin, dan tidak memandang hina orang-orang-Nya dalam tahanan. Biarlah langit dan bumi memuji-muji Dia, lautan dan segala yang bergerak di dalamnya." (Mzm 69:33-35)

Jakarta, 6 Oktober 2007

Rm. Maryo