3 December 2019
Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest
There are few saints in the Jesuit constellation of star players who have earned more interest and admiration than Francis Xavier. Although we frequently portray Ignatius as the man who led the charge and Xavier as the man who followed, this image doesn’t square with what contemporary guardians of sanctity perceived identifying the most famous. In fact, Xavier’s canonization had to be held up so that Ignatius could catch up. While Xavier spent 12 years of his life on the foreign missions, Ignatius spent that time as a very competent and holy administrator. The vibrancy in which Xavier articulated the need for evangelization in India and Japan inspired men to enter the Jesuits and donors to share their wealth. Xavier’s exploits earned him the place as patron of the missions, along with Teresa of the Little Flower. Both these saints may give us some insight of what it takes to spread God’s word. Although Xavier gained fame, it was only on the account that he was second in line. Not originally chosen to work in the “Indies” he stepped up to the task and established a trajectory for missionary work in the Society of Jesus that reaches the unchurched from Bangalore to Boston. We need not worry about going to the missions to find those who need God most, since the missions are now happily residing in our backyards. Xavier’s greatness resides in his confidence in God and his efforts to use human wisdom to apply God’s grace in any given situation in order to bring souls to that same loving God. Xavier is our model, not so much in his travels but in his desires to bring men and women close to the heart of Christ.