St. Andrew’s Day
November 30
The First-Called
On the last day of November, Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland
and Greece, is honored in many parts of the world. Who was this man who
is honored by so many different people?
Andrew was a simple fisherman. He lived with his brother Peter in
Galilee. Then Jesus
Christ called Andrew to follow Him. Because Andrew was probably the
first of the apostles, he is often spoken of as “The First- Called.”
“I will make you fishers of men,” Jesus said to Andrew and to Peter. So
the two men put down their nets and followed Jesus.
Jesus commanded the apostles to “go into the world and preach the gospel
to every creature.” And this is what Andrew did. It is believed he
preached in Greece. It is said that he even traveled into Russia.
But Andrew angered the Romans by preaching the word of Jesus Christ.
Finally, the Romans crucified him on an X-shaped cross. This kind of
cross is called the cross of Saint Andrew. You can see this white cross
on the flags of Scotland and England.
It is said that some of Andrew’s bones were later taken to Scotland for
burial. The Scots not only made him their patron saint, they also
remembered this humble man through the St. Andrew’s Society.
There are St. Andrew’s societies in almost every part of the world.
These groups work to help the poor and the needy. And each year the
groups hold great banquets on November 30, the feast day of Saint
Andrew.
These affairs are very much like the ones held on Robbie Burns’s
birthday (see page 54). The main part of the dinner is, of course, that
special Scottish dish called haggis. And throughout the evening, the
swirl of bagpipes fills the air.
