St. Andrew the First-Called

Staying with Christ for one day and hearing from Him the words of Divine wisdom and the economy of our salvation, the Apostle Andrew left everything he had in the world—house, family, fishing, and his entire meager fortune, and became a man with no possessions, acquiring the most precious, irreplaceable and eternal treasure—faith in Christ—following Him zealously, without turning back, until the end of his life.

12/13/2022

Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called

Commemorated on November 30/December 13

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Rating: 7.7|Votes: 6

Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First-Called

Commemorated on November 30/December 13

The Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called was the first of the Apostles to follow Christ, and he later brought his own brother, the holy Apostle Peter, to Christ.

The Astonishing Missionary Journeys of the Apostle Andrew

Part 1

Nun Nectaria (McLees), George Alexandrou

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Rating: 4.3|Votes: 31

The Astonishing Missionary Journeys of the Apostle Andrew

Part 1

Nun Nectaria (McLees), George Alexandrou

The most important thing is that these puzzle pieces – the separate local traditions of Bulgaria, Romania, Ethiopia, of the Aramaic people, the Syrians, the Copts, even the Greek and Roman church traditions all fit together, but you have to follow them step by step to recreate his life. Finally, I had only one piece that I couldn’t fit, even as a possibility: the Declaration of Arbroath, the fourteenth-century Scottish declaration of independence from England which says that the Scots were taught the Christian faith by St. Andrew himself. Historians dismiss this, but I have to point out that his presence there was not physically impossible.

The Astonishing Missionary Journeys of the Apostle Andrew

Part 2

Nun Nectaria (McLees), George Alexandrou

8 251 5

Rating: 3.4|Votes: 59

The Astonishing Missionary Journeys of the Apostle Andrew

Part 2

Nun Nectaria (McLees), George Alexandrou

After the dormition of the Mother of God, St. Andrew began his final journey from Jerusalem. The trail of tradition says that he went back to Pontus, then to Georgia, to the Caucuses, and to the Sea of Azov in southern Russia. From there he went to Donets, to the Crimea, up the Dnepr River to Kiev and to the Scythians of the Ukraine. In the Crimea, where he stayed with the Greeks of Sebastopol and Cherson, we know that there were first-century Christian communities organized by St. Andrew himself. From the Crimea and Kiev in the Ukraine, he would have gone north by river to what is now Moscow, to Novgorod and then to Lake Ladoga (Valaam).

The Astonishing Missionary Journeys of the Apostle Andrew

Part 3

Nun Nectaria (McLees)

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Rating: 8.2|Votes: 5

The Astonishing Missionary Journeys of the Apostle Andrew

Part 3

Nun Nectaria (McLees)

Also, he had a sense of humor. For example, some of the sources say that when he first saw the saunas of the Slavs in what is now Novgorod he wrote letters to friends saying, “These Slavs are such strange people; they torture themselves with birch branches.” He was laughing about it. You cannot imagine him as a master of strictness. He was a humorous man, very humble, very easy. As a Mediterranean person he was surprised by these strange traditions. Of course, he was also a man who had seen many things.

St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle

Commemorated November 30/December 13

Nathan Duffy

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Rating: 3.4|Votes: 5

St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle

Commemorated November 30/December 13

Nathan Duffy

After following Christ during His earthly ministry, beholding Him after His resurrection, and receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, St. Andrew heeded Our Lord’s commandment to preach the Gospel in all the world and baptize the nations in a most literal and spectacular fashion.

Homily on the Day of the All-Praised Apostle Andrew the First Called. Man’s true, Eternal Riches

St. John of Kronstadt

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Rating: 7|Votes: 3

Homily on the Day of the All-Praised Apostle Andrew the First Called. Man’s true, Eternal Riches

St. John of Kronstadt

This is what it means to possess all things. Truly, having nothing on earth and no passionate attachment to anything earthly, the Apostles possessed everything—all spiritual riches, all spiritual power; all spiritual consolation. They counted everything earthly as rubbish, dust, and vanishing smoke, because they had God Himself living in them, working countless miracles through them and saving through them a countless multitude of people.

Anton Pospelov. The Cross of the Apostle Andrew in Moscow

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Rating: 8.5|Votes: 6

Anton Pospelov. The Cross of the Apostle Andrew in Moscow

From July 19–25, 2013, the Cross of the Apostle Andrew the First Called is placed for veneration in the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow. This sacred treasure of Christianity was brought from Greece for the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. It is believed that the Apostle Andrew visited what is now Kiev, and possibly other places in Russia. As tradition has it, St. Andrew stood on the hills of Kiev and prophesied that this would be a great Christian nation. Anton Pospelev of Pravoslavie.ru presents his photo reportage of this event.

The Commemoration of Apostle Andrew the First-Called

Bishop Mitrophan (Znosko-Borovsky)

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The Commemoration of Apostle Andrew the First-Called

Bishop Mitrophan (Znosko-Borovsky)

Always concentrated, introspective, decisive, and brave, Andrew comes up in the Gospels at especially important and crucial instances.

A Man Who’s Ready to Take Second Place

A Homily on the Feast of St. Andrew the First-Called

Archpriest Alexander Shargunov

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A Man Who’s Ready to Take Second Place

A Homily on the Feast of St. Andrew the First-Called

Archpriest Alexander Shargunov

For his humility, the Apostle Andrew is granted an exceptional gift of service.

Apostle Andrew the First Called. On How to Maintain Spiritual Joy

Archpriest Gregory Dyachenko

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Apostle Andrew the First Called. On How to Maintain Spiritual Joy

Archpriest Gregory Dyachenko

The holy apostle Andrew is the “example of a Christian’s spiritual joy”. At the sight of the terrible instrument of his torturous death—the cross—he not only did not fall into despondency or fear, but to the contrary greatly rejoiced that through the cross he can come to his Lord, into His blessed Kingdom.

Faith Without Works is Dead

Homily on the Day of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First Called

Archbishop Dimitry (Muretov)

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Faith Without Works is Dead

Homily on the Day of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First Called

Archbishop Dimitry (Muretov)

In this perfect harmony between lips and heart, internal and external life, does true faith consist; from this proceeds our justification and salvation: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved (Rom. 10:9).

Unwaning Zeal for Preserving the Holy Spirit

Homily delivered on November 30/December 12, the feast of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called

Bishop Vissarion (Nechaev)

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Rating: 9.8|Votes: 12

Unwaning Zeal for Preserving the Holy Spirit

Homily delivered on November 30/December 12, the feast of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called

Bishop Vissarion (Nechaev)

Why doesn’t the fire of grace given to us not manifest its saving power, does not burn in us, or burns only barely noticeably? It is for the same reason that the material fire in a furnace or oil lamp goes out.

How the Labors of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called Can Be Close to Every One of Us

Priest Andrei Chizhenko

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Rating: 9.5|Votes: 17

How the Labors of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called Can Be Close to Every One of Us

Priest Andrei Chizhenko

On November 30/December 13 the entire Orthodox world commemorates the disciple of the Savior who first came to Christ, the first to respond to His call, for which he received the moniker “First-Called”—the holy apostle Andrew.

The “Trier Sandal” of Apostle Andrew

Anatoly Kholodiuk

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Rating: 5.8|Votes: 4

The “Trier Sandal” of Apostle Andrew

Anatoly Kholodiuk

According to tradition, holy Empress Helen brought to Trier the sandal worn on the right foot of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

The Moment We Were First Called

A homily for the Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First Called + November 30/December 13

Rev. Dr. J. Sergius Halvorsen

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Rating: 10|Votes: 3

The Moment We Were First Called

A homily for the Apostle Andrew, the Holy and All-Praised First Called + November 30/December 13

Rev. Dr. J. Sergius Halvorsen

No matter where he was, no matter what he was doing, no matter how dark or cold, he needed to look no further than his own heart, for as St. Paul says, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 5.5) Filled with that love, Andrew saw the image of God in everyone he met. He saw the image of God in the poor, the angry, the sick, the despairing, the lonely, the stranger. It was this love of God that allowed him to rejoice and give thanks even as he offered his life as a martyr.

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