NOVENA OF GRACE OF ST. FRANCIS XAVIER: DAY 5
Read the story from the life of St. Francis Xavier.
Ponder on the “Reflection” for a few minutes.
Pray the set of prayers at the bottom of the page.
Day 5: The mission of Francis in South Asia (1542-1549) (part 1)
Travelling from Rome to Lisbon and then on to Goa took Francis almost two years (In 1540, the Pope established the “Companions of Jesus” as a religious order in the Catholic Church. They were later to be called the “Society of Jesus”, and to become more popularly known as the Jesuits.)
When Francis arrived in Goa in 1542, he had a reputation for helping the poor and the sick, and zealously seeking to encourage people to live a good life. It was recorded that Francis always looked happy, despite two months of continual seasickness, and other illnesses along the way.
In 1542, the Portuguese Governor of Goa asked Francis to teach the pearl fishers (Paravas) of Cape Comorin in South India. They were nominal Christians but had received no formal instructions on their new faith, because no priest had ever learned their language. He sat about learning Tamil, the local language, and managed to translate the Creed.
He experienced the loneliness of working in a foreign culture. He had been promised two Jesuits helpers, but they never arrived. After a year he decided to return to Goa to see what had happened to them. He was so well accepted by the people that a number of young Paravas went along with him to be trained for Christian ministry.
Prayer to St. Francisco Xavier
I join with you Saint Francis Xavier
In bowing before the God of all Creation.
When I look at the great things you did during life,
I see what marvels can be achieved by a person blessed by God.
I join with you in praising God and giving thanks
For all the good things I have been given.
Dear Saint Francis Xavier,
Please pray to God for me and ask that I may live and die in God’s favor.
Please ask God for me for (here ask for what you desire),
Provided, of course, that this would be good for me.
In the end, my only wish is
For whatever gives glory to God and is good for my health in body,
Mind and spirit. Amen
Reflection:
- When I feel alienated from my surroundings, to whom do I turn?
- When things get difficult for me, where do I draw my strength from?
The Lord’s Prayer…
Hail Mary…
Glory be…
