Okay, I admit, I’m pulling strings today. I write about Saint Francis Xavier because it’s my birthday and it’s his feast day. A nice coincidence that makes my birthday ever more special.
Saint Francis Xavier is a special saint in the way that so many are: He sacrifically gave up an easy life to do the Lord’s work. Born in a family castle in the Basque region of Spain in 1506, he nonetheless became a priest and was one of the seven founders of the Society of Jesus.
But he is most known for traveling the world over — not easy in those days, especially when the world was just getting discovered — including India, Asia, Africa and the Phillipines and converted tens of thousands to Christianity. In many ways, his impact on the universality of the Church remains with us. He truly took heed of Jesus’ command to go to the ends of the Earth!
In our comparitively easy lives, do we even approach one person who could use the Lord in their life? Especially this time of year, when people are open to learning about our Lord’s birth on Earth, if only for secular reasons or the obligatory twice a year attendance at Mass, maybe it’s a time we can all ponder as to how to bring more people into the Church and to Christ.
Now that I think of it, it makes perfect sense that Saint Francis Xavier’s feast day is during Advent. Read more about him here at Catholic Online.
Saint Francis Xavier gave up life in a castle to bring tens of thousands to Christ.
Happy birthday
God bless you
Here’s a St. Francis prayer on his feast day…
Lord Jesus,
You have sent us to proclaim the Gospel to all nations,
and have promised to always remain with us.
Look upon this family
gathered on the feast day of St. Francis Xavier.
Pour out the abundance of your Spirit
upon each one of our brothers and sisters
especially on those who are called to ponder
upon the journey made
and to plan what has still to be done,
so that we may offer a more authentic service to mission.
Grant that we may ever be faithful to the Gospel
and to give an answer
to the hopes which the world places before your church today.
Stay with us, Lord,
when we gather around the table of your Bread and your Word,
and when we walk the paths of the world
side by side with our brothers and sisters.
Grant that we all find ourselves in heaven, our homeland,
after having been members of the same family on earth. Amen.