By Leon Bent-
John de Britto, was born in Lisbon on March 1, 1647, to a noble Portuguese family. The young level-headed lad had much to bear from his careless-living companions, to whom his holy life was a reproach. A severe illness made him turn for aid to Saint Francis Xavier, a Saint well loved by the Portuguese; and when he recovered, in answer to his prayers, his mother clothed him for a year, in the tunic worn in those days, by the Jesuit Fathers. From that time, John’s heart burned to follow the example of the Apostle of India: Francis Xavier.
When he was 15-years old, on December 17, 1662, he entered the Lisbon novitiate of the Society of Jesus, and eleven years later, despite the determined opposition of his family and the court, he left with 27 Jesuit co-disciples for Madura. The future martyr declared firmly: “God, who called me from the world into religious life, now calls me from Portugal to India. Not to respond to my vocation as I ought, would be to provoke the justice of God. As long as I live, I shall never cease to desire a passage to India.” His ardent desire was fulfilled.
He laboured in the Jesuit province of Madura, which included seven missions; preaching, converting, and baptizing multitudes, at the cost of privations, hardships, and persecutions. In 1682, struck by his success and his sanctity, his Jesuit Superiors entrusted to him the government of the entire province.
To the wars of the local kings, which created ravages, disorder, pillage and death for the people – famine, pestilence, and floods added to the devastation of the unfortunate land. Both the days and the nights of Saint John were dedicated to bringing aid to the poor Christians and pagans afflicted by many violent natural disasters. At times he took charge of thousands of people, who migrated because of wars. All the Christians were pursued by bands of robbers, paid by the ruling elements to prevent any increase in the influence of the disciples of Christ. Saint John’s miracles helped him, and God preserved him from the snares of his many enemies.
After four years of this major responsibility, amid the anarchy which reigned, he was seized, tortured, and nearly massacred by the pagans, then banished from the local states. His Superiors called him back to Europe. They wrote of him: “He has affronted every peril to save souls and extend the kingdom of Jesus Christ, for whose love he has been captured several times and condemned to frightful torments.” He preached in Portugal at the court and in the various dioceses and universities, without ever forgetting that he was a missionary of Madura, for which he recruited many generous workers for the Gospel Vineyard.
He finally went back to the land of his choice in 1690, with twenty-five Jesuits but several died during the voyage. The king of Portugal took every means to obtain his return to Portugal, if not as tutor to his son, which post he had declined, then as bishop of one of the Portuguese sees, but the Saint was occupied in baptizing thousands of catechumens and instructing the pagans whom grace had touched.
The Brahmans were alarmed once more and conjured his death; he was tracked everywhere, but the envoys could not take him for some time. Eventually they succeeded, and his great enemy, a local ruler, exiled him with orders to imprison and kill him secretly. But his execution by decapitation was carried out in the sight of a multitude of Christians, who knew of his coming martyrdom, and saw him pray in an apparent ecstasy, which checked the executioner’s courage for a time. On February 4, John de Britto was executed. As he knelt at the execution block, the rajah’s order of death was read aloud. The executioner hesitated, but John said to him, “My friend, I have prayed to God. On my part, I have done what I should do. Now do your part.”
They buried him and did not cease to pray at the tomb of the second Apostle to India. He was canonized in 1947 by Pope Pius XII.
In His Homily, at the Eucharistic Celebration in honour of St John De Britto, Madras, Wednesday, 5 February 1986, Holiness John Paul II said: “It is an honour and special grace for me to come to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Thomas the Apostle, here in Madras. As so many pilgrims before me have done, I too come to venerate the Tomb of the Apostle to India. This holy place speaks of the history of the Church in this beloved land. It calls to mind, not only Saint Thomas and his martyrdom, but all the others after him, who have dedicated their lives to the preaching of the Gospel, all those who have borne witness to Christ both in word deed.”
Now, this gold nugget! “Christ – Shepherd, Prophet and Priest – has sealed our hearts with his call just as he touched the hearts of the apostles, the hearts of Saint Thomas, Saint Francis Xavier and Saint John de Britto. May they intercede for the Church in India, for this beloved country and its people.”
And this final flourish! “Brothers and sisters: you are called to be living witnesses to Christ, living witnesses to God’s Word, living witnesses to the saving message of love and mercy that, Christ revealed to the world. Amen.”
Leon Bent is an ex-Seminarian and studied the Liberal Arts and Humanities, and Philosophy, from St. Pius X College, Mumbai. He holds Masters Degree in English Literature and Aesthetics. He has published three Books and have 20 on the anvil. He has two extensively “Researched” Volumes to his name: Hail Full of Grace and Matrimony: The Thousand Faces of Love. He won The Examiner, Silver Pen Award, 2000 for writing on Social Issues, the clincher being a Researched Article on Gypsies in India, published in an issue of the (worldwide circulation) Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection, New Delhi. On April, 28, 2018, Leon received the Cardinal Ivan Dias Award for a research paper in Mariology.