God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called

It is not hard to obey when we love the one whom we obey. --Saint Ignatius

Gospel text (Mt 4:18-22): As Jesus walked by the lake of Galilee , He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. He said to them, «Come, follow me, and I will make you fish for people». At once they left their nets and followed him. He went on from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them. At once they left the boat and their father and followed him

St. Andrew seems to have been a transparent disciple. Andrew has no identity in the Gospels apart from Jesus. He is always portrayed as either following Jesus or bringing others to Jesus.

The top group of apostles in the gospel are always Peter, James, John, and Andrew. Peter, James, and John are portrayed in the Gospels with lofty ambition or grandiose goals (e.g. Mk 10:35ff; Lk 22:33), but never Andrew. Although he was a privileged apostle with special access to Jesus (see e.g. Mk 13:3), he was apparently content to humbly and transparently bring others to Jesus without drawing attention to himself (see Jn 1:40-42).

Once the apostle Philip was approached by a group of Greeks who wanted to see Jesus. Instead of bringing them directly to Jesus, Philip brought them to Andrew (Jn 12:20-22). Philip apparently was certain that if he could just get the Greeks to Andrew, then Andrew would be able to bring them straight to Jesus.

The upcoming season of Advent is a time of preparing to meet Jesus. Many people don't know Jesus, but they do know us. We can be another Andrew for them.

Perhaps the Gospel lesson explains why so many of us do not lead others to Jesus. Jesus called Peter and Andrew to be his followers and Matthew says that “at once” they left everything and followed him. Jesus called James and John and “immediately” they left their job and their family to follow him. In Jesus these two sets of brothers found everything they wanted in this life and the life to come. With this confidence, they shared their faith even unto death - some boldly, some stepping back.

To each one of us —to all Christians— Jesus is also asking every day to place at his service whatever we are and whatever we have —that means to leave everything, not to have anything of our own— so that, while living with him our professional and familial obligations, we may become “fishermen for people”. What does it mean to be “fishermen for people”? A nice answer might be a commentary by St. John Chrysostom. This Father and Doctor of the Church says that Andrew did not know how to explain to his brother Peter who was Jesus and, consequently, he «brought him to the very source of light», that is, Jesus Christ. “To fish men” means to help all those around us, in our family and in our work, to find Christ who is the only light for our route.