The apostle Andrew "teaches us to follow Jesus readily and to speak of Him to those we meet". In the Wednesday catechesis, Benedict XVI lingered on the figure of Andrew, Peter’s brother, who "very ancient traditions" consider "the announcer of Jesus for the Greek world". "A later tradition went on the Pope tells of Andrew’s death in Patras, where he also underwent the torture of crucifixion. But at that supreme time, just like his brother Peter, he asked to be placed on a different cross from that of Jesus". A request that, according to the Pope, reveals "an extremely deep Christian spirituality which views the Cross not so much as an instrument of torture but rather as the incomparable means of full assimilation into the Redeemer". From Andrew, "we have to learn a very important lesion: our crosses become valuable if they are viewed and welcomed as part of Christ’s cross, if they are reached by the reflection of His light. Only by that Cross are our sufferings ennobled and take on their true meaning". At the end of the audience, after greeting the about 35 thousand pilgrims standing in the square, Benedict XVI invited the Christian community to tomorrow’s Feast of Corpus Domini, which includes Mass at 7.00 pm in Saint John Lateran, followed by a procession ending in Santa Maria Maggiore.
