COMMENTARY: As conversions climb amid cultural uncertainty, St. Andrew, whose feast day is Nov. 30, reminds believers that God multiplies whatever we place in his hands and uses ordinary witness to change lives.
If signs pointing to a new openness to religious faith are accurate, the faithful need to meet this moment — serving as convicted witnesses to the truth the way St. Andrew did for his brother, St. Peter.
St. Andrew is often called the first disciple. Indeed, in John’s Gospel, after hearing Jesus Christ, he immediately informed St. Peter, “We have found the Messiah.”
This was not a frivolous claim — at least not one to be made lightly. For generations, Jews longed for a military savior akin to King David: one who would gather the tribes of Israel, restore the Temple and smite geopolitical opponents. Yet St. Andrew was not a theologian; he was a fisherman and a disciple of St. John the Baptist. But his enthusiasm, as Pope Benedict XVI emphasized, demonstrates how he was “a man who was searching, who shared in Israel’s hope, who wanted to know better the word of the Lord, the presence of the Lord.”
St. Andrew’s “promptness” — as the late Pope described — to immediately share this good news with others, particularly his loved ones, is inspiring. He did not see Christ’s miracles, spend years at his side, or witness him resurrected. Nor could St. Andrew have foreseen his own sacrifice — his crucifixion in Patras, Greece, on an X-shaped cross — for the truth.
Nevertheless, from his first encounter, Christ inflamed St. Andrew’s heart with the correct evangelizing impulse.
Faith compelled St. Andrew to bring St. Peter to Jesus, who then “looked at him, and said, ‘So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas.’” This is a seminal event in the Church’s history — and it should be acknowledged as such. After this introduction and years of ministry, Christ eventually named St. Peter the first pope when decreeing, “For upon this rock I will build my Church.” That apostolic lineage extends through Peter’s successors to Pope Leo XIV.
But St. Peter’s path to sainthood began with his brother’s humble, yet urgent witness. Indeed, St. Andrew’s evangelization — rooted in the truth of Christ’s messianic nature — exemplifies Christians’ duty: to boldly go and make disciples of all nations, leading others to him, and even help foster saints greater than ourselves.
Today, like Andrew, many people are searching for truth — particularly young men. While a portion of Gen Zers has flocked to religion more so than previous generations, this demographic has also gravitated toward ‘masculine’ online personalities in a backlash against the over-feminization of culture. Yet St. Andrew’s example reveals that authentic masculinity is not domination or bravado, but courageous humility — the willingness to seek, listen and surrender to truth himself.
Modern trends, however, partially stem from decades of mass apostasy and poor catechesis. Indeed, the United States has had the largest drop in religiosity among any country in the past 10 years.
There are other concerning statistics. Within the past 20 years, religious practice and prayer have collapsed, as well as vocations. Marriage has declined, along with baptisms and the other sacraments. And there has been a gaping lack of knowledge about the Eucharist — the source and summit of Christian life. Concurrently, amid emerging social ills and the rise of posthumanism, there has been a precipitous rise in anxiety and depression, particularly among younger demographics, leading to a pervasive “happiness crisis.”
For the faithful, the challenges to re-catechize seem insurmountable. Yet, even here, St. Andrew provides a model.
After Jesus preached to the 5,000, he told the apostles to “give them something to eat.” In John’s Gospel, St. Andrew pointed out the glaring predicament: “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good are these for so many?” This may appear defeatist, but St. John Paul II — in a 1982 address to Scotland, which is under St. Andrew’s patronage — highlighted, “Saint Andrew gave Jesus all there was available,” and by trusting in Christ, a miracle was performed. The Holy Father continued:
Left alone to face the difficult challenges of life today, you feel conscious of your inadequacy and afraid of what the future may hold for you. But what I say to you is this: place your lives in the hands of Jesus. He will accept you, and bless you, and he will make such use of your lives as will be beyond your greatest expectations!
If a spiritual revival is stirring, as some indicate, this presents not only an opportunity for the faithful, but also illuminates a responsibility. Believers must both inculcate the teachings of the Catholic Church and perform the corporal works of mercy. This is a moment to be unafraid in sharing Christ’s redemptive love and mercy — and to reaffirm how he is our Messiah. Unlike St. Andrew, we have the benefit of living in a post-empty-tomb reality. Through the Apostles and disciples since, including those who helped introduce us to Jesus, we believe a great miracle transpired on Easter Sunday 2,000 years ago, and our redemption remains attainable by God’s saving grace.
Though he is less frequently mentioned in the Gospels, St. Andrew’s faith — as the first disciple — testifies to that enduring truth: We must share the good news and entrust everything to Jesus Christ, even in the face of opposition and mounting odds. That is what he recognized in his first encounter and what he took with him to death. In the centuries since, this witness has led others to Christ and, therefore, the sainthood of many.
In our own age, the faithful must do likewise. The “Peters” in our lives are waiting for us to act.
St. Andrew, pray for us!
