Feast of the Apostle Andrew Baca lebih lanjut
Feast of the Apostle Andrew
Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Matthew 4,18-22
As he was walking by the Lake of Galilee he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew; they were making a cast into the lake with their net, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, 'Come after me and I will make you fishers of people.' And at once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there he saw another pair of brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they were in their boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. And at once, leaving the boat and their father, they followed him.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If we die with him, we shall live with him,
if with him we endure, with him we shall reign.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Today the Church remembers the apostle Andrew, the first one to be called. This memorial reminds us that Christians are first and foremost disciples, that is, a man or woman who listens to the Lord and follows him. This is why the first one to be called, according to John's narration, continues to be an example. Andrew, the son of Jonah and brother of Simon Peter, was from Bethsaida and worked as a fisherman alongside his brother. He was called by Jesus while he was mending his nets, and he left them immediately and began to follow the Teacher. According to tradition, Andrew announced the Gospel in Syria, in Asia Minor, and in Greece. He died in Patras, crucified like his Teacher. Orthodoxy venerates him as the first bishop of the Church of Constantinople. The Gospel of Mark unites him to the first four who were called. Indeed all of them after meeting Jesus started to follow him. The Church, each Christian community, every religious experience starts always with a n encounter. But it is not about hasty greeting or social entertainment. How many times we fill time with our chatting or we waste floods of words! There is a simple and clear invitation of Jesus: "Follow me, and I will make you fish for people." Andrew and Simon, called Peter, listen to this invitation, leave their nets, and follow him. Why follow him? It is difficult to explain God's future to those, like us, who are illiterate when it comes to his word and his love. The Teacher explains God's future in the only way that those fishermen can understand, perhaps in the only way that can excite them, "you will still be fishermen, but you will fish for people." For this type of fishing we have to leave our old boats and begin travelling, not on the water anymore, but on the land of men and women that is perhaps even more fluid and uncertain than the waters of the lake. It is no longer the watery sea, but the sea of men and women, the crowd of people that will absorb the disciples and overwhelm them. Together with the other three, Andrew accepts Jesus' invitation. You are not the one who chooses; there is another who looks at you, loves you, and calls you. In truth, Jesus is the first "fisher for people," and he calls these poor fishermen. It is not for us to decide whether we are worthy or not, or if anyone else is. These kinds of judgments are tied to worldly logic. From the Gospel's perspective, all we have to do is listen to the invitation, accept it, and respond, just as these four did. Following Jesus is not a choice for heroes or chosen spirits. The first four were simple fishermen; they listened to Jesus, trusted him, and followed him. This is the entire secret of faith and of the Church herself.
Doa merupakan jantung kehidupan Komunitas Sant'Egidio dan merupakan prioritas yang paling penting. Di penghujung hari, setiap Komunitas Sant'Egidio, besar maupun kecil, akan berkumpul di sekeliling Tuhan untuk mendengarkan sabda-Nya. Sesungguhnya Sabda Allah dan doa merupakan landasan seluruh kehidupan Komunitas. Para rasul tidak bisa tidak selain tetap di sekitar kaki Yesus, seperti yang dilakukan oleh Maria dari Bethani, untuk menerima kasih dan belajar cara-Nya (Fil. 2:5).
Sehingga setiap malam, ketika Komunitas kembali ke kaki Tuhan, Komunitas mengulangi kata-kata dari rasul tak bernama: "Tuhan ajarkanlah kami cara berdoa" Yesus, Sang Guru, terus menjawab: "Ketika kamu berdoa, katakanlah: Abba, Bapa". Hal itu bukanlah satu seruan sederhana. Dengan kata-kata ini, Yesus membiarkan para murid untuk berperan serta dalam hubungan mereka sendiri dengan Bapa. Oleh sebab itu, fakta bahwa sebagai anak-anak Bapa yang bertahta di surga, muncul sebelum kata-kata yang mungkin kita ucapkan. Jadi doa di atas segalanya merupakan cara untuk menjadi manusia. Ini untuk mengatakan bahwa kita anak-anak yang berpaling kepada Bapa dengan iman, dan yakin bahwa hal itu akan didengar.
Yesus mengajar kita memanggil Allah dengan sebutan "Bapa Kami" Tidak hanya "Bapa" atau "Bapaku" Para murid, meskipun mereka berdoa dengan cara mereka, tidak pernah terisolasi tidak juga menjadi yatim; mereka selalu menjadi anggota keluarga Tuhan.
Dalam doa bersama, di samping misteri anak Allah, ada juga misteri persaudaraan, seperti Bapa Gereja mengatakan: "Kamu tidak bisa memiliki Allah sebagai Bapa tanpa memiliki gereja sebagai ibu". Ketika berdoa bersama, Roh Kudus menyatukan para rasul di ruangan atas bersama dengan Maria, Bunda Allah, sehingga mereka dapat memusatkan pandangan mereka kepada wajah Tuhan dan belajar dari Dia rahasia hati-Nya.
Komunitas Sant'Egidio di seluruh dunia berkumpul bersama di berbagai tempat doa dan menghamparkan di hadapan Tuhan harapan dan penderitaan manusia yang lelah dan letih seperti yang di katakan oleh Injil (Mat. 9:37). Dalam kumpulan di masa lalu ini kita bisa melihat jumlah massa yang sangat besar di kota-kota modern ini, jutaan pengungsi yang terus melarikan diri dari negeri mereka, orang miskin yang terpinggirkan ke tepi kehidupan dan mereka yang menantikan seseorang yang akan merawat mereka. Berdoa bersama termasuk di dalamnya tangisan, seruan, permohonan, keinginan bagi damai, penyembuhan dan penebusan manusia di dunia ini. Doa tidak pernah sia-sia, doa terus menerus kepada Tuhan sehingga mengubah kecemasan menjadi harapan, air mata menjadi kegembiraan, putus asa menjadi kebahagiaan, dan kesepian menjadi persatuan. Semoga Kerajaan Allah hadir segera di antara manusia.
