At his weekly General Audience on Wednesday morning in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis continued his discussion of individuals who exemplified apostolic zeal by stating that St. Francis Xavier was "rightly considered the greatest missionary of modern times."
The Pope gave a reflection on the patron saint of Catholic missions to the believers gathered in the Square and acknowledged the saint for his tireless assistance with the ill, the underprivileged, and kids everywhere he went. According to The Pope, St Francis Xavier consistently combined his intense effort with prayer and contact with God.
Thanking All The Missionaries
The Pope lauded St. Francis Xavier as a role model for missionaries and young people alike, saying that we can learn from him. The saint, according to Pope Francis, undertook tremendous feats while living a life of poverty and courage.
The Pope honored St. Francis Xavier's accomplishments while praising all missionaries who remain committed to serving others out of love and faith for Christ. The Pope also commended the numerous priests, laypeople, and nuns who travel to missions, highlighting the insights that we can draw from them.
The Holy Father emphasized how St. Francis Xavier's relationship with Christ gave him strength no matter what was going on around him. He said that the saint never stopped praying because he understood there was power in it.
Life of St. Francis Xavier
The Pope noted that St. Xavier was born in Navarre, northern Spain, in 1506, into a wealthy but noble family. He later attended the University of Paris to earn a well-paying ecclesiastical job that would guarantee his future. The Pope thought back to his reputation as a charming and smart young man who excelled in both studies and sports.
He met St. Ignatius of Loyola in college, and they became close companions. Ignatius aided Francis in experiencing a fresh and profound spirituality.
Francis Xavier would be one of the Jesuits of the era dispatched to the East Indies to spread the faith, the Pope underlined.
Here was the beginning of a large group of dedicated missionaries who were prepared to face great hardships and dangers in order to travel to places and interact with people who spoke cultures and languages they had never heard of before.
The Holy Father claimed that their only thing in common was a burning desire to spread the word about Jesus Christ and His gospel.
When Xavier was later appointed Apostolic Nuncio, serving as Pope Paul III's ambassador to the leaders of the so-called Indies, he produced astonishing results in a little over eleven years.
The Pope emphasized that although ship travels at that period were extremely challenging and hazardous, with many people dying while traveling from shipwrecks or sickness, Xavier spent more than three and a half years aboard ships, accounting for a third of the entire length of his mission.
Once at Goa, India, the Portuguese Orient's capital, Xavier established his base there but continued. He set out to evangelize the impoverished fishermen of southern India, baptizing and healing the sick while teaching youngsters catechism and prayers.
After feeling the need to venture beyond India during a night prayer at the tomb of the Apostle St. Bartholomew, he departed for the Moluccas, the furthest islands in the Indonesian archipelago, where he established multiple Christian communities over two years. The saint taught people how to sing the Catechism after setting it to verse in their native tongue.
The Pope went on to say that Francis Xavier had once met a Japanese person in India who had informed him about his far-off nation, where no European missionary had ever gone before, and this made Francis Xavier make up his mind to go there after an arduous voyage. Once in Japan, the Pope underlined that Xavier recognized that China, with its culture, history, and strength, exercised de facto supremacy over that region of the world, making it the key nation for his mission in Asia.
For this purpose, Xavier went back to Goa and shortly after embarked once more in an attempt to enter China even though it was off-limits to foreigners. He was unsuccessful.
On the tiny island of Sancian, where he had been waiting in futility to arrive on the mainland near Canton, Xavier passed away at the age of 46 in absolute submission to the Lord. The Pope declared that with this, Francis Xavier's earthly journey came to an end.
Final Remarks
Pope Francis praised St. Francis Xavier's exceptional prayer life and unwavering devotion to Christ in his final remarks. In the tradition of St. Francis Xavier, he also applauded everyone who still travels to other lands to carry out missionary work. He also hoped that each of us would experience the joy of evangelizing.