Today our children are influenced by the values of culture through places like YouTube where everyone is determined to become rich and famous, and through videos, movies and TV where they are introduced regularly to the latest iteration of the superhero.

Providing them with alternative ways of thinking is a fruit of religious education.

Consider St. Andrew, the Apostle who is rarely spoken of in Scripture, but who was, with his brother Peter, chosen by Jesus as his first Apostles. Andrew wasn’t rich, or famous or well educated. He was a fisherman, an ordinary working man. You might say, as a YouTuber, he wouldn’t have many followers.

But it was in his littleness, that St. Andrew was strong.

St. Andrew “was searching for something more important than life on the sea could give him. Like many faithful Jews of his time, Andrew was waiting for God to send the Savior he had promised” (Saints Resource, RCL Benziger).

So, when Andrew and a friend heard John the Baptist exclaim one day, “Behold, the Lamb of God” as Jesus walked by, they immediately followed Jesus, who then invited the two to join him. Andrew was so excited he ran to get his brother, Peter, and share the good news with him and bring Peter to Jesus.

Later, in their ministry, Andrew would bring the young boy with five loaves of bread and two fish to Jesus who would use that small boy and those fish to feed more than 5,000 people.

That’s about all we know about Andrew from Scripture. This Apostle didn’t seek the limelight, but he never let his relatively unknown status keep him from doing God’s work. After Pentecost, Andrew brought Jesus to others through his preaching in Greece and Russia, until, like Jesus, he was martyred on a cross, though his cross was in the shape of an X because he didn’t consider himself worthy of being crucified in the same manner as his Lord, Jesus.

What were St. Andrew’s unique characteristics?

Humble – Imagine you met the President of the United States who was looking to fill an important decision in his/her Cabinet. You are so excited you run off to get your sibling to meet the President, too. And when it’s time to select the person for the important Cabinet post, the President selects your sibling. How would you feel? You’d think Andrew might have been angry and jealous that his brother, Peter, was chosen by Jesus as the leader of Christians, but instead he continues his service by going to foreign lands as a missionary for Christ. Andrew understood that you can’t be filled with the love of God is you are filled with an unhealthy love of self.

Faithful – St. Andrew followed Jesus from the first moment he realized Jesus was the savior God had promised to send his people. He accepted Jesus’ invitation to “come and see,” and never turned back. He continued his mission to preach the Good News of the Gospel to all nations even though he knew there was great danger in doing so. Our students will grow in faith with opportunities to pray, read the Word of God and to respond to invitations to learn what Jesus is all about.

Insightful –We see Andrew has insight when he recognizes Jesus as the Lamb of God, as described by John the Baptist, and when he realizes that Jesus could make something great out of the littleness of five loaves of bread and two fish. Andrew has the gift of being able to see what many others can’t see, the ability to observe well, make connections and imagine possibilities. Helping students develop insight will help them be successful in all areas of their lives.

Moving Forward

Not every lesson in a classroom should come from a textbook. Lessons about religion and faith are often learned more deeply from experiences and nurtured by the shared wisdom of adults in their lives. These are the elements that can help children develop the varied characteristics of the saints and Apostles, helping them to understand that even in their own littleness they can have a powerful, positive impact on the world.

Provide opportunities for students to share the “small” moments of faith they have witnessed or experienced, and to talk about the outcome or what it meant to them. For example, when they witness a classmate sharing lunch or pencils with another classmate, helping someone with their homework, or standing up for a classmate who is being treated poorly by another classmate.

Keep a small bowl of water on a windowsill and let students drop a small pebble in so they can see the ripples the pebble creates. Remind them that every kind word or good action, no matter how small, creates a ripple in other lives.

Display this quote: “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa

About the Author
Mary Clifford Morrell, mother of six and grandmother to ten, is a Catholic journalist, editor, and author who has served the Dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey; Burlington, Vermont, and RENEW International in the areas of religious education and communication.