ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF FEAST OF ST ANDREW
ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, EDINBURGH
HOMILY PREACHED BY CARDINAL KEITH PATRICK O’BRIEN
WEDNESDAY 30TH NOVEMBER 2011
INTRODUCTION:
It is indeed a pleasure being with you today, gathered in our Cathedral, as we celebrate the Feast of St Andrew, our National Patron.
As we celebrate this feast today – while delighted at so many people being able to come to our Cathedral here in Edinburgh – we continue to request that this particular day be made a national holiday each year. We make this request, not particularly because of any commercial opportunities or giving us the opportunity of another day’s rest from our ordinary everyday chores – but rather so that we can think back to that person whose feast day we celebrate on this day, calling to mind his staunch adherence to the Christian faith, of which we are so proud here in Scotland.
It is a privilege having so many of our priests able to be with me concelebrating this Mass – especially classmates and former students from St Andrew’s College, Drygrange. I include in my welcome to them a former student, who did not progress to the priesthood, but who has spent his life in service as an MP and an MSP, Mr Dennis Canavan – and who has led the campaign to have
St Andrew’s Day recognised as a national holiday. A very warm welcome to you all!
LIFE OF ST ANDREW:
Obviously, we owe everything we learn from the life of St Andrew to the words of Sacred Scripture themselves. Andrew, a fisherman, was with his brother, Peter on the Sea of Galilee. When called by Christ, he followed Jesus without any hesitation, led his brother, Peter, to Jesus, and remained faithful to Christ throughout his life – even to the shedding of his own blood as a martyr at Achaia in modern day Greece.
One can apply those words of St Paul in today’s Scripture reading to Andrew himself: “If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved”. That virtue and fidelity to Jesus Christ was shown by Andrew himself throughout his long life and then to his own personal agony and death on the cross as a martyr.
THE EXAMPLE OF ANDREW DOWN TO OUR OWN TIME:
We can think of the example of St Andrew shown by many others on Scottish soil down through the centuries – and I mention but two:
We can think of St Ninian himself, that Briton, who went to Rome and returned as one of the first to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our land. In the year 397, we believe that St Ninian was with us, having brought the Gospel from Rome to Scotland 200 years before St Columba of Iona and St Augustine of Canterbury.
And then we can think of our present Holy Father himself, Pope Benedict XVI. When he was with us here on the Feast of St Ninian in 2010, Pope Benedict XVI reminded us of the apostolate of St Ninian – indicating then that it must have been difficult for Ninian as the ‘lone figure’ to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ! But spread it he did – the seeds of the faith taking root and leading to Scotland becoming one of those Christian countries strong in their faith from the earliest centuries of Christianity.
While here in Scotland and also in England after his visit to us, I think of Pope Benedict as another ‘lone figure’. He seemed to be standing alone in the Great Hall of Westminster during his visit and facing so many people of different political persuasions and of different religious beliefs, as he proclaimed the Christian message in an unflinching way.
CALL TO EACH ONE OF US:
We must, of course, remember that that same call continues down to our own time – whether we are bishop or priest, lay person or ordained, male or female, young or old! The same call re-echoes to us as to those first apostles: “Preach the Word of Christ in season and out of season, welcome or unwelcome!”.
Earlier this morning, I myself was called upon to preach that same Gospel of Jesus Christ in front of our Scottish Parliament – launching an initiative called ‘Scotland for Marriage’. I saw it as part of my responsibility as a Christian leader to remind our politicians, as well as all of the people of Scotland of the fundamental importance of marriage in our nation.
I quote some words from what I said a few hours ago with regard to marriage itself:
“There is no doubt that as a society we have become blasé about the importance of marriage as a stabilising influence and less inclined to prize it as a worthwhile institution. It has certainly been damaged and undermined over the course of a generation, yet marriage has always existed in order to bring men and women together so that the children born of those unions will have a mother and a father.
As an institution, marriage long predates the existence of any state or government. It was not created by government and should not be changed by them. Instead, recognising the innumerable benefits which marriage brings to society they should act to protect and uphold it not attack or dismantle it.
At the heart of this debate however there is one perspective which seems to be completely lost or ignored, it is the point of view of the child. All children deserve to begin life with a mother and father, the evidence in favour of the stability and well being which this provides is overwhelming and unequivocal”.
CONCLUSION:
On this St Andrew’s Day, let us never forget the Christian heritage of our country – with our patron saint being one of the first apostles of Our Lord.
Let us never forget the long Christian tradition of our country from the time of St Ninian, the first apostle to our land, right down to our own time with our present Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, handing on that same Christian message.
And let us always be reminded of our own responsibilities as Christians to hand on that same Christian message, whether easy or difficult, whether listened to or ignored in our own country – reminding others of that proud heritage which is ours, especially on this feast day of St Andrew.