Feast of Saint
Andrew, Apostle
Psalm 19, Verse 10-11
10 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The statutes of the
LORD are true, all of them just; 11 More desirable than gold,
than a hoard of purest gold, Sweeter also than honey or drippings from the
comb.
Our
Lord showed no fear of the money changers or the priests when He overturned the
tables in holy zeal for the statutes of the Lord. Is the Holy Spirit moving you
to make a real change today? Are you being called to be holier, stronger, more
committed to God and better prepared for the trials and persecution of our
world? Consider the message of The Holy League.[1]
The Holy League
History-Pope St. Pius V formed the original
Holy League in response to the dire situation in which Christian Europe found
itself in 1571. Small bands of Catholic men and remnant armies from various
nations came together under the spiritual leadership of the saintly pontiff and
the military leadership of Don John of Austria. By prayer and fasting, they
implored the help of God’s grace, through the intercession of the Mother of
God, and, by the grace of Almighty God, on October 7, 1571, at the Battle of
Lepanto, the Christian fleet won a crushing victory over the OttomanTurks,
saving Christendom and western civilization.
The Battle Today
At
this particular moment in time, the Church finds itself in a similar situation
to that of the Church in the late Sixteenth Century. However, instead of a
physical enemy on the horizon, the Church and the family (the domestic Church)
are threatened daily by relativism, secularism, impurity, and confusion
regarding Church teaching. The battle today “is not against human forces but
against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness,
the evil spirits in the heavens” (Ephesians 6: 10-12). To combat the forces of
evil in today’s society, the Holy League strives to call men back to the state
of grace and to transforming the culture through prayer.” The Holy League, in
fidelity to its mission as a Roman Catholic solidarity movement:
·
Provides
a Holy Hour format which incorporates: Eucharistic adoration, prayer, short
spiritual reflections, the availability of the Sacrament of Confession,
Benediction and fraternity;
·
Encourages
consecration to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
and the Purest Heart of Joseph;
·
Promotes
the Precepts and Sacraments of the Church; especially through devotion to the
Most Blessed Sacrament and the praying of the Most Holy Rosary;
·
Creates a
unified front, made up of members of the Church Militant, for spiritual combat;
·
Strives to
have a regular monthly Holy League Holy Hour available to men in every Roman
Catholic parish.
Holy League Vision
The
Vision of the Holy League is to develop a network of parish based regular
monthly Holy Hours with confession and fraternity for men.
Our Mission
The
Holy League, in a Spirit of Marian Chivalry, under the patronage of Our Lady of
Guadalupe and Saint Joseph, seeks to provide opportunities for the faithful to
unite in prayer, especially monthly Eucharistic Holy Hours, for purification
from sin and predisposition to Supernatural Grace for the fuller exercise of
the threefold offices of Priest, Prophet, and King received at Baptism. The
particular prayer of the Holy League is the monthly Eucharistic Holy Hour.
Feast
of Saint Andrew
ANDREW,
a brother of St. Peter, born at Betlisaida, was first a disciple of John the
Baptist. Afterwards both the brothers were called by Christ, on the Sea of
Galilee, before all the other apostles, with the words: Come after Me, and I
will make you to become fishers of men (Mark i. 17). Immediately they left all,
and became faithful disciples of Jesus, arid witnesses of His deeds and
sufferings, of His resurrection and ascension. After the descent of the Holy
Ghost, Andrew travelled through Scythia, Epirus, and Thrace, and by his
teachings and miracles converted vast numbers to Christ. As he was preaching at
Patras, a city of Acliaia, he was violently pressed by the proconsul, Aegeas,
to offer sacrifice to the idols; but he nobly answered him, I daily offer
sacrifice to God; not the flesh of oxen, nor the blood of rams, but an
unspotted Lamb; and although all the faithful may have partaken of His flesh,
yet the Lamb remains as before He was offered, alive and undivided. Aegeas,
enraged, committed him to prison, and on the following day caused him to be scourged;
and as he persevered in his declaration, condemned him to be put to death by
crucifixion. When he saw the cross, the instrument of his death, he greeted it
with joy, embraced it, and said, O good cross, that was adorned with the limbs
of Christ, thee have I long desired; thee have I fervently loved; thee have I
continually sought. Now thou art made ready for me, according to the wish of my
heart. Take me away from men, and restore me again to my Master, that through
thee I may come to Him Who through thee has redeemed me. After this he was
nailed to the cross. Two days he remained hanging thereon, preaching faith in
Jesus, until his soul was taken up to Him Whom he had so ardently desired to resemble
in the manner of His death.
(Goffine’s
Divine Instructions)
·
Andrew
was fishing with Simon Peter, James the Greater, John, and their father,
Zebedee, when Jesus came and said he would make them fishers of men (John
1:35-42).
·
Andrew
was reportedly martyred on November 30 in the year 60 A.D by a Roman governor's
order in Achaia (Greece). He was crucified and bound to the cross to
increase his suffering. The cross was tilted to create an "x,"
which is known today as St. Andrew's cross and is the basis for the Scottish
flag.
·
The
Feast of St. Andrew is the last holiday of the Christian year. It is held
the day before Advent begins, November 30 in Roman Catholic and some Protestant
churches. St. Andrew's Day is a holiday in Scotland that honors the
disciple as the country's patron saint.
·
St.
Andrew is the brother of St. Peter (Simon Peter), who was the first leader of
the church.
·
St.
Andrew is the Patron saint of: Amalfi (Italy), Barbados, Esgueira
(Portugal), Luqa (Malta), Patras (Greece), Romania, Russia, Scotland and
Ukraine.
St
Andrew Top Events and Things to Do
·
Travel
to Scotland to celebrate St. Andrew's Day. The holiday commences many
parties and festivals in Scotland and it is also an official holiday in the
country.
·
St.
Andrew's remains, or relics, are thought to be buried in Italy at the cathedral
in Amalfi. Pilgrimage to Italy to visit.
·
Go
fishing or enjoy a seafood dinner. St. Andrew is the patron saint of
fishermen. He was a fisherman before he left his old life to follow Jesus
Christ.
·
Visit
St Andrew's Cathedral in Patras, Greece. It is the largest church in the
Balkans region and one of the largest in Europe. According to history, St.
Andrew was crucified just outside of the church.
·
Take
pictures of yourself on St Andrew's Day and use the Instagram tag #myinstagram
to win prizes.
As we near the Advent season let us take up the nature of God by
reflecting on these traits that make us a model for our children and our
sisters and brothers in Christ. Today reflect on:
Availability vs. Self-centeredness
Making my own schedule and priorities secondary to the wishes
of those I am serving (Philippians 2:20–21)
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
Jesus isn't satisfied 'going halves': he wants the lot.
Daily Devotions
[2]https://www.wincalendar.com/St-Andrew
[3]http://graceonlinelibrary.org/home-family/christian-parenting/49-godly-character-qualities/
[4]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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