Saint Andrew - Patron Saint of Scotland

Saint Andrew, who is more commonly known as one of the twelve disciples of Jesus is the patron saint of Scotland and Greece. He is also the patron saint of fishermen.

Saint Andrew was a fisherman along with his brother Peter. Andrew had then become a disciple of John the Baptist until John the Baptist pointed to Jesus who was walking by and proclaimed that he was the Lamb of God. At this Andrew followed Jesus and was the first to become a disciple of Jesus. He must have trusted John the Baptist's words and very quickly came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. After this, Andrew went and found his brother Peter (the Rock on whom Christ built the church) and brought him to Jesus.

Saint Andrew is not mentioned too much more in the rest of the bible, but there are a few times we see him in the Gospels. Whenever the twelve disciples/apostles are listed in the gospels and in Acts, Andrew is one of the first four mentioned.

Andrew appears to be a man of faith. He was a disciple of John the Baptist and trusted John's words that Jesus was the "Lamb of God". He immediately began to follow Jesus after this word. It seems that he is a man of faith, even reckless faith. During the feeding of the 5 thousand in John 6 it is Andrew who says "There is a little boy here, who has [with him] five barley loaves, and two small fish; but what are they among so many people?". Although no one had seen multiplication of food, it seems that Andrew had at least enough faith to speak up and tell Jesus what they did have instead of looking at what they didn't have.

It is thought that after the persecution and separation of the apostles and the church of Acts, Andrew ministered in many different cities including Byzantium and ending in Achaia. In Achaia, the Roman Governor Aegeas sentenced Andrew to death by crucifixion. Andrew was tied to the cross instead of nailed, which prolonged the suffering. There are stories that he continued teaching about the Lord for two days while he hung on the cross.

Saint Andrew's Day is celebrated on the 30th of November. This holiday is celebrated primarily in Scotland.

There are certain parts of Europe where many believe that the day before Saint Andrew's day is an exceptional day for magic. I opted out of giving my own viewpoint earlier, but I cannot refrain. I am sure that Andrew is outraged by the thought of people performing acts of witchcraft 'in his name'.

Many superstitions and traditions are tied to this belief. The main belief is that a young woman can find out who she will marry through different forms of superstitions. It seems to me that these traditions surrounding Saint Andrew's Day and the life of Andrew are extremely contrasting.

Although some people have the traditions listed above, there are others who simply remember this disciple and take a day to honor the Lord. In Scotland it is a National Bank Holiday.

Catholic Encyclopedia, NewAdvent.org and the Bible were referred to while writing this article