WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
A VERY HAPPY AND BLESSED FEAST
OF SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER
TANCIO, CHRISTINE AND HERMAN D'SOUZA
London UK
December 3: St. Francis Xavier
This great missionary was born at Xavier Castle in
Spain in 1506. He went to the University of Pariswhen
he was eighteen. Here he met St. Ignatius Loyola, who
was about tostart the Society of Jesus. St. Ignatius
tried to get Francis to joinhim. At first the
happy-go-lucky young man would not think of it.
St.Ignatius repeated to him the words of Jesus in the
Gospel: 'What doesit profit a person to gain the whole
world and lose his own soul?' Atlast, Francis saw
clearly that his place in life was among the
Jesuits.When Francis was thirty-four, St. Ignatius
sent him as amissionary to the East Indies. The king
of Portugal wanted to give himpresents to take along
and a servant. Francis refused his kind offerand
explained: 'The best way to acquire true dignity is to
wash one'sown clothes and boil one's own pot.' During
the course of his amazingcareer in Goa, India, Japan
and other lands of the east, St. Francismade thousands
of converts. In fact, he baptized so many people that
hebecame too weak to raise his arms. He gathered the
little childrenaround him and taught them the Catholic
faith. Then he made little layapostles of them. He
invited them to spread the faith they had
learned.There was nothing St. Francis wouldn't do to
help people. Once he faceda fierce band of raiders,
alone, with no weapon but his crucifix. Theybacked up
and did not attack his Christian tribes. The saint
alsobrought many bad-living Christians to repentance.
His only 'tools' werehis gentle, polite ways and his
prayers. In the midst of his painfuljourneys and great
labors, the saint was full of a special joy comingfrom
God. St. Francis longed to get into China, into which
no foreignerwas permitted. At last, the arrangements
were made, but the greatmissionary became ill. He died
almost alone in 1552 on an island offthe Chinese
coast. He was just forty-six-years-old. Francis Xavier
wasproclaimed a saint by Pope Gregory XV in 1622. He
was in the best ofcompany at the canonization ceremony
in Rome. Ignatius of Loyola,Teresa of Avila, Philip
Neri and Isidore the Farmer were alsoproclaimed saints
that day. Reflection: Francis'love for Jesus was so
strong that he could not rest at the thought ofso many
people who had never heard the Gospel. What would
happen if Iwere able to share my faith with at least
one person in my life?
It is truly a matter of wonder that one man in the
short space of ten years (6 May, 1542 - 2 December,
1552) could have visited so many countries, traversed
so many seas, preached the Gospel to so many nations,
and converted so many infidels. The incomparable
apostolic zeal which animated him, and the stupendous
miracles which God wrought through him, explain this
marvel, which has no equal elsewhere. The list of the
principal miracles may be found in the Bull of
canonization. St. Francis Xavier is considered the
greatest missionary since the time of the Apostles,
and the zeal he displayed, the wonderful miracles he
performed, and the great number of souls he brought to
the light of true Faith, entitle him to this
distinction. He was canonized with St. Ignatius in
1622, although on account of the death of Gregory XV,
the Bull of canonization was not published until the
following year.
The body of the saint is still enshrined at Goa in the
church which formerly belonged to the Society. In 1614
by order of Claudius Acquaviva, General of the Society
of Jesus, the right arm was severed at the elbow and
conveyed to Rome, where the present altar was erected
to receive it in the church of the Gesu.
SAM FRANCIS XAVIERA - VODDA COUMRA
RATH DIS AMCHEA MOGAN - LA-ASTELEA
BESSAUM GHAL SAIBA - XARRAR GOEMCHEA
SAMBAULUNC SODANCAL - GOPANT TUJEA
BEPORVA CORUN - HEA SONVSARACHI
DEVACHI TUVEN - KELLI CHAKRI
SOGGOT SODTAUN AIZ - MOZOTT TUJI
KORTAI MUN MILAGRI - MILAGRI
ANVDETAUM TUMCAM SOGLEANC BOV FEST
--- CAJETAN DE <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Wishing you'll a very happy Feast of our
>
> "GOENCHO SAIB"
>
> ST. FRANCIS XAVIER
>
> Cajetan de Sanvordem
> Kuwait.
>
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