"He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah.'"
Today is Andrew's feast day as well as my husband's namesake day. I went to mass today and was particularly moved by what our pastor said about St. Andrew. We know how Andrew's brother Peter was crucified upside down because he deemed himself unworthy to be crucufied as our savior was crucified. Andrew too felt unworthy to be crucifed as our Lord was and my pastor implied that he felt unworthy to be crucified even as his brother Peter was. Therefore his cross was in the shape of an "X". He also was not nailed to his cross but bound as is shown in the above picture to prolong his agony and he was actually preaching while hanging from the cross.
Sadly it is difficult to imagine this kind of love for Jesus or zeal for the Glory of God. "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."--Matthew 19:26 This reminds me of how weak I am and how much I need to thank God and ask him to strengthen me.
Christmas Anticipation Prayer
St. Andrew's Day is the beginning of the Christmas Anticipation Prayer. Starting on St. Andrew's Day the following prayer is said fifteen times every day until Christmas:
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, (here metion your request) through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of his blessed Mother. Amen
