Andrew the Apostle does not get nearly as much credit as he deserves. There, I said it.
Think about it: His brother Peter? Becomes first Pope with an awesome new Jesus-given nickname of “the Rock.” Young John becomes the beloved one, invited to place his head on the heart of his Savior at the Last Supper. James, a son of Thunder, gets invited to all the important moments in Jesus’ public ministry. Jude becomes a favorite for desperate Catholics down through the generations. Even poor “doubting” Thomas gets a moment in the spotlight, a witness to the truth that we can always find our way back to the Risen One when we experience times of uncertain and precarious faith.
These apostles – we remember and have great devotion to. Andrew: not so much. And yet we should.
Lest we forget: Andrew was the first of the 12 to allow his heart to be moved by grace, so much so that when he encountered Jesus and believed him to be the long-awaited Messiah, he ran to tell his brother Simon. “Come and see, bro.” (Not an exact quote, but you get the point.) Simon did, got tapped as the leader by Jesus, and Andrew humbly fades into the background. Nary a complaint from Andrew, such as: “Hey, I found you first, Lord. What about me?”
Then, later into Jesus’ public ministry, Andrew again steps into the breach of a challenging moment and (as we see in today’s Gospel) points the way and saves the day, humbly and with full confidence in the Lord.
Okay, to be fair, it was actually Jesus who saved the day with this Eucharistic-foreshadowing feeding of the multitudes. It’s always Jesus.
But what a beautiful instrument Andrew became in that moment.
As the other disciples were wondering about getting money to shop for food, and as Phillip blurts out that it would be seemingly impossible to feed so many with so little, it was Andrew who scans the crowd and says: “Here, Lord, look at what this boy has. Might this work?”
Andrew notices.
The one whose heart was first transformed by the mercy of God-in-Christ is the very one who now sees someone that everyone else would naturally overlook and point him out to Jesus.
“Lord, he doesn’t have much. I’m not even sure if it’s enough, but he has something to give to You for others.”
Should this not become our daily prayer in all that we do? Shouldn’t these words (in the spirit of Andrew) become ours as we set-out daily to make a difference in the Kingdom of God?
“Lord, I don’t have much – and it certainly doesn’t seem like enough – but what I have (everything I have) I give to You for others.”
That’s the Andrew way. And the Andrew way when fully embraced leads our own hearts to notice the gifts that others have, gifts that can also be transformed by God into pathways of feeding lost and hungry hearts in search of love, healing, mercy and forgiveness. Hungry hearts in search of the Savior.
When we come to notice others – especially those overlooked -- with an Andrew heart and point out their beauty and giftedness, just imagine what Christ can do.
Last week, amidst the chaos brought about by computer failure at airports and other businesses throughout the world, the story circulated on social media of an encounter at Kansas City International in which a young man went from person to person – many of them understandably tired and miserable – and complimented them, made them smile, and even (gasp) made them forget their cellphone-stupor for a few moments. By the time the plane was boarding, every person in that waiting area – no exceptions – was transformed.
One passenger touched by the young man’s joy turned to his mother and complimented her: “You have one remarkable son,” she said. “He must inherit his gift from you.”
The mother laughed and then replied, “My gosh, no. His biological parents left him in a dumpster as a baby behind a restaurant because he has Down’s. I was just the lucky one to find him – or maybe I should say, be found by him.”
One life – a life that in most cases would be snuffed-out before its time; a life that many would avoid interacting with – became the very instrument of transformation that spiritually and emotionally fed an airport of soul-weary travelers.
Yet, when it comes right down to it, isn’t this always the way of God? Using the unnoticed, the forgotten and the unwanted to transform the world? Using what seems so inconsequential to feed our hungers? Using what seems so little and so humble to accomplish beautiful things?
Apostle Andrew became one of these instruments, as did the boy whom he pointed out on the Galilean hillside with his meager rations. So too did a young man with Down’s syndrome stuck in a Kansas City airline terminal last week, a young man who noticed the sadness and deep-longing for connection in the hearts of strangers and went to go feed them with the humble rations he himself was given.
How beautiful the world around us becomes when we notice and then go feed. It’s the call of Christ for all of us, not just a chosen few.
And we can only really embrace such a task of soul-noticing when we first come to be fed by the One who remains with us in the very Bread of Life that we come here to receive. Our God remains with us in the Most Blessed Sacrament – and literally feeds us in this way -- so that we can become noticers and inviters, too.
Our world needs more Andrews. Our world needs more Galilean boys who share what they have with hungry crowds, and Kansas City airline passengers who respond to companions on the journey from a place of deep joy. It does not matter if we feel as if we don’t have enough. God multiplies and uses everything that we give Him. Nothing is wasted when offered to Him and others from a place of love. Nothing is wasted when we reach out from the place of noticing with the heart and saying: “Take this, offered for you.” The words of Christ at the consecration now become our mission. The Eucharist becomes our life-source and rallying-cry. Fed by Love, we go and become His Love.
As you and I come to receive Him in this Most Blessed Sacrament, let us make Andrew’s words our own: “Lord, I don’t have much – and it certainly doesn’t seem like enough – but what I have (everything I have) I give to You for others.”