By P.A. Devadoss, CSC –
Readings: Jer 1:4-8; 2Cor 4: 7-15; Lk 10:1-16
Francis Xavier was destined to be a great missionary. The Lord knew him even before he formed him in his mother’s womb. He had set him apart even before he was born. He had appointed him a prophet to the nations. He, who came from a royal and affluent family, spent 10 years (1542-1552) caring for the poor and the sick in many nations: India, Sri Lanka, Malacca, Maluku islands, Japan and China. Francis Xavier was a vessel of clay with God’s surpassing power. He ministered to the sick and children. This power ever remained alive and active in his body even after his death. God blessed him with incorruptible body so that the life of Jesus may remain in his mortal remains.
Xavier is a patron saint of missionaries. He crossed the seas, travelled to and lived in many nations, learned various languages, and proclaimed the word of God. Francis Xavier, while doing his studies in Paris, happened to meet Ignatius of Loyola. His earnest desire was to be a distinguished professor and live a wealthy life. Ignatius of Loyola confronted him with the following words of Jesus “For what will it profit people if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?” (Mt 16:26) and turned his life in a direction he had never even dreamt of.
Francis Xavier was a true follower of the Lord of the Harvest. He spared no time to travel to search for the harvest. He worked single-mindedly and improvised his mission methods according to the land, people and heritage. He came to be called by the recent scholars as “St. Paul in modern style.”
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