St. Andrew

Saint Andrew, Apostle holds a great title in the Catholic Church. This saint is very important, especially in Jesus’s time. He gained Jesus’s trust and followed him, which encouraged others to follow as well. He stayed loyal to the Lord, even after Jesus died on the cross for us. St. Andrew spread the good news in many different places and gained the ability to speak different languages through the Holy Spirit. His symbol is a “x” that is also supposed to be a cross. He was a martyr since he died because of his beliefs. St. Andrew is the son of Jonah (John) and the brother of Simon, whose name had been later changed to Peter by Jesus. St. Andrew was born in Bethsaida, Syria located near the Jordan River. In the beginning he was a disciple of Saint John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus and is also his cousin. Eventually St. John spoke of Jesus and Andrew realized that Jesus was so much greater. Andrew and Peter were both fisherman and Andrew is the patron saint of
fishermen. Eventually, he became the first ever disciple of Jesus. It all happened when Jesus was walking and he realized someone was behind him. It turned out to be Andrew and he told Jesus of what he heard. Jesus decided to make Andrew a disciple and Andrew was more than willing to follow him. Eventually, Andrew convinced his brother, Peter to meet Jesus and after he did he was also made a disciple.
Even though Andrew was the first disciple, he is not mentioned in the Bible as much as the other eleven disciples. The names of the twelve disciples are listed in Matthew's gospel (another disciple). Nevertheless, St. Andrew is as much as important as the other disciples. He was with Jesus at the Last Supper and he spread the teachings of Jesus, especially in Greece. St. Andrew, just like Jesus, was crucified in Greece. St. Andrew was crucified, but not on the same type of cross as Jesus. He requested to be crucified on a “x” shaped cross instead of an actual cross. He thought himself not worthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus. This is why his symbol is an “x” shaped cross. Instead of being nailed to his cross like Jesus, he was tied and he was kept there for Two days to suffer. In his last moments, he prayed and a light appeared around him and he was finally taken into
Heaven. Saint Andrew, Apostle’s feast day is celebrated November 30. In some particular countries there are huge celebrations for him. Greece, Scotland, and Russia all have Saint Andrew as their patron saint. Scotland believes that St. Andrew has helped them gain victory in battle. They are extremely fond of him that the Scottish flag is an “x” type of cross just like St. Andrew’s Symbol. This was done on purpose. St. Andrew will not just be remembered in these three countries, but he will be remembered everywhere.