I was in secondary school when I first heard about Saint Francis Xavier because my sister was a member of Xavier movement whose patron was Saint Francis Xavier. At that time, I knew little about him as a saint. However, When I entered the Xavierian family, I learned that Francis Xavier had been considered the greatest missionary since the time of the apostles, with the kind of zeal that his life manifested for all the Church.
When I was in novitiate, one of our formators was saying that we were all interested to know deeply our founder Saint Guido Maria Conforti. Still, we didn’t know very well who Saint Francis Xavier was. I remember that when we celebrated Saint Francis Xavier’s feast last year, I was tasked to prepare some trivial questions for the community to be more familiar with the life of our patron.
Saint Francis Xavier initially had no interest in being a priest as he aspired for a secular career. When he encountered Ignace de Loyola, Francis Xavier changed his purpose because he was touched by this Scripture text that was quoted, “What does it profit a man gaining the whole world and lose his soul.” Even though he was born into a wealthy family, he didn’t resist God’s call to preach the Gospel worldwide. As a missionary, I learned from Francis Xavier that a mission is a commitment, not just what we do in our spare time. Furthermore, I’m called to be involved in the mission of the Church, including those dimensions to which the mission is connected (like learning a new language to being flexible to the new culture).
In the book “Spiritual itinerary of Saint Francis Xavier,” I read that Francis Xavier was a diplomate and could collaborate with non-Christians and authorities to spread the Gospel everywhere. He is known as the apostle of the Indies, the apostle of the far east, and the apostle of China, where he died. To celebrate Saint Francis Xavier today is the opportunity to evaluate my life as a missionary and how I manifest my zeal for the mission.
The mission context during Saint Francis Xavier’s time may not be similar to what it is today; however, our patron taught us how to live out our mission ad gentes, ad extra, and ad vitam. Today, Saint Francis Xavier, including Therese of the Child Jesus, is considered the patron of the mission of the Church.
It is our prayer that we remain committed to working for the Kingdom of God with the inspiration of our beloved Saint Francis Xavier.
