St. Andrew, Brother, Friend, Follower of Christ

St. Andrew

November 30 is the feast of St. Andrew. The Greek Churches call him, "Protokletos" which means "First Called." Andrew, the brother of Peter, saw Jesus first and went and told his brother. "We have found the Messiah." John 1:41

St. Andrew is a good friend. Throughout the Gospels, we can see him helping others in various ways. He pointed out to Jesus in the Feeding of the Five Thousand that there was a boy who had fish and barley loaves. John 6:1-15  He accompanied Philip and some Greeks who wish to meet Jesus. John  12: 22 He was present at many of the miracles of Jesus and on the Sunday evening after Our Lord's Death and Resurrection, he was present when Christ appeared.

Saltire Cross Flag or St. Andrew's Cross

St. Andrew received the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. After that event, he left Jerusalem and went out to preach. He preached the good news that Jesus Christ was Lord and that He had established His Church to forgive sins and to restore mankind to the Kingdom of God.

It is believed that St. Andrew was martyred in Patras, Greece, by being crucified in the shape of an X. His relics were in Constantinople at one time, and some were given to Scotland through the gift of St. Rule. In 1969,  Pope Paul VI returned a relic of St. Andrew's skull to the Greek Orthodox Church in Patras.

St. Andrew is beloved by the Greeks, Scots, Russians and many others for his humble and apostolic spirit of bringing others to Jesus, the Lord and Master of us all. He is the patron saint of Scotland where they celebrate his feast as a national holiday. November 30th will find Scots men and women enjoying a variety of tasty foods which have come to be associated with the feast of St. Andrew.
Below is a picture and a recipe you may enjoy trying. At the end is the novena prayer to St. Andrew which begins on his feast and ends of Christmas Eve. Most importantly, we remember St. Andrew as being a friend to all. St. Andrew, Pray for us!

Traditional Scottish Shortbread

for the Feast of St. Andrew

I have included the link for a Martha Stewart recipe for traditional Scottish Shortbread. She uses a stoneware mold of sorts, but it is not necessary. The above picture shows how you can use Martha's recipe but decorate the shortbread yourself with traditional fork prints and a flute pan edge to cut-out the outer ring of the dough for an attractive edging.

https://www.marthastewart.com/1142426/scottish-shortbread

St. Andrew Christmas Novena Prayer

Hail and blessed be the hour and the moment when the Son of God was born of the most 

pure Virgin Mary at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold. At that hour vouchsafe, Oh 

God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires through the intercession of our Lord and 

Savior, Jesus Christ, and His most Blessed Mother.

Many say this prayer for 15 times from the Feast of St. Andrew to Christmas Eve.