Homily Feast of Francis Xavier (Faith Can be an Adventure)

Homily Feast of Francis Xavier (Faith Can be an Adventure)

Jesus said to go and make disciples of all nations.  When Jesus gave that order the known world was pretty much restricted to the countries around the Mediterranean Sea.  Later the Christian world was restricted to European nations.

Only later did Christians come to realize the vastness of the world.  We remember that Columbus did not sail until almost 1500 years after the advent of Jesus.  When Europeans began to explore the new world and then the far east the missionary work of the church began to become a lot more intimidating.

The missionaries of the 16^th and 17^th century began to encounter societies with cultures and religions that were just as old or almost as old as the Judeo-Christian tradition.  In order to successfully evangelize missionaries had to be able to engage other cultures and to see how the Christian faith might be introduced.  This required extreme intelligence and flexibility on the part of the missionary.  Courage was also needed.  The missionary had to be willing to risk everything, even their life.  Such bravery required a special type of individual.

Francis Xavier was an extraordinary man.  He was one of the first Jesuits.  At the age of 36 he traveled to India.  He was much admired by the people there for his ability to adapt to their way of life. He established missions there.  But he was not satisfied.  He next went to Japan where he again met with success and established a Christian church which survives to this day.

St. Francis again wanted to spread the Gospel further, so he sailed for China.  He arrived there, but unfortunately, he became ill and he died before he could make much of an impact.  He died at the young age 46, but he accomplished monumental things in his short life.

Francis Xavier was born into a noble family.  He could have had a comfortable life, but he risked all for the sake of the Gospel.  His life challenges us all to give and not to count the cost.

Reflection Questions:

1.  What would I be willing to risk my life for?  Have I ever tried to accomplish an impossible task?
   1. What quality of Francis Xavier impresses me most?  Could I cultivate that quality in my own life?

 

Dear Parishioners,

          Plans are coming together for our Facebook live series which begins next Tuesday at 7 p.m.  The title of the series will be “Prepare Your Hearts.”  I will be giving three spiritual talks on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. These will be on the nights of December 8^th, 15^th and 22^nd.  Remember that we will be having extra Reconciliation times each Wednesday of Advent.

          COVID 19 will make Christmas very challenging this year. We are limited as to how many people we can have at church.  We can only have about 125 people in church at a time.  For that reason, we have added a Mass Christmas Eve.  Instead of three Masses Christmas Eve we will have four.  We will also have a Mass Christmas Day.  A sign up will be required.  Just go to our website and sign up there or call our office.  Times are on the website.

          There is still no obligation to attend Sunday and Holy Days.  Our hope is that we can accommodate those who want to attend, and we will keep everyone safe.

          May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you today.

          Fr. Mark