November 30 was my name day! My Papa celebrated Divine Liturgy for the feast of St. Andrew at our church back home and said a special prayer for me and all other Andrews in our church. Here is the story of St. Andrew...
St. Andrew, whose feast day is November 30th, is the patron saint for fishermen. Andrew, like his brother, Simon Peter, was a fisherman. He became a disciple of the great Saint John the Baptist, but when John pointed to Jesus and said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" Saint Andrew understood that Jesus was greater. At once he left Saint John to follow the Divine Master. Jesus knew that Saint Andrew was walking behind him, and turning back, he asked, "What do you seek?" When Saint Andrew answered that he would like to know where Jesus lived, Our Lord replied, "Come and see." Saint Andrew had been only a little time with Jesus when he realized that this was truly the Messiah.
From then on, he decided to follow Jesus. Saint Andrew was thus the first disciple of Christ. Next, he brought his brother Simon (Saint Peter) to Jesus and Jesus received him, too, as His disciple. At first the two brothers continued to carry on their fishing trade and family affairs, but later, the Lord called them to stay with Him all the time. He promised to make them fishers of men, and this time, they left their nets for good. It is believed that after Our Lord ascended into Heaven, Saint Andrew went to Greece to preach the gospel. He was put to death on a cross, to which he was tied, not nailed. He lived two days in that state of suffering, still preaching to the people who gathered around their beloved Apostle.
