November 30.  St Andrew.  “Was Andrew, Peter’s older brother, the one who let his kid brother become the leader of the pack?” That was a question posed to the youth at their group meeting. After their discussion they came to realise that in God’s kingdom such things don’t matter.  Jesus, and St Francis like Jesus, could see some special qualities in each person, man, woman and child.  Andrew’s fame rests on the fact that, recognizing Jesus as the greater teacher, he left John the Baptist and called his brother too to follow Jesus.  Like so many of the first followers of Jesus Andrew gave his life and was martyred. He was not nailed but tied to a cross, which would have lengthened his time of suffering.  

Scripture: Their voice has gone out to all the earth and their words to the ends of the world.   Romans 10:9-18   Pope Francis:   “In the name of human fraternity, that embraces all human beings, unites them and renders them equal; In the name of this fraternity torn apart by policies of extremism and division, by systems of unrestrained profit or by hateful ideological tendencies that manipulate the actions and the future of men and women; in the name of God and of everything in this statement we declare the adoption of a culture of dialogue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard” FT285.  Taken from FRATELLI TUTTI the latest encyclical of Pope Francis, referring to his fraternal meeting with the Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb. For the full statement see Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together,  Abu Dhabi 4  February 2019.    For Reflection and Sharing. As family members consider what fraternity could mean for you. Is it just about being related or is there something deeper underpinning our relationships?