“Go then to all people everywhere and make them my disciples” – Matthew 28:19
(Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers)
As today we are celebrating our Patron Saint, my thoughts go back to his time. In my active imagination, I am with Saint Francis Xavier as he anticipates going to a far distant land unknown to him. He is happy and excited to leave the familiar world because of his love for Jesus and his fellow human beings. I find myself so full of admiration for him. I see in him, a man who is not attached to the familiar.
Then, in my imagination, I decide to open up a conversation with him. I ask him, “Are you not afraid of moving to the unknown world as a missionary? Are you aware that you will never come back again to your familiar world?”
“No, my friend, I cannot hold what is in me for myself”, he answers me. “I have to share it with others, especially those who I do not know. You know, you do not have to leave one’s land or travel to another land in order to be a missionary. You can just leave behind those things in your familiar world that are preventing you from both growing in your love for Jesus, and having a new perspective in the world that encourages others to love Jesus more and more. This will take time. As for me, I am going to make a long journey. “
I learn two lessons from Saint Francis Xavier. First, by his deed, he teaches me to be ready, for the love of Jesus, to move from the familiar to the unfamiliar world. The second lesson, I learn from this insatiable laborer for souls is the desire to be ready to share with others the gifts God has given me.
And you, what did you learn from Francis Xavier’s life today?
O God, who through the preaching of Saint Francis Xavier brought many peoples to yourself, grant that our hearts may burn with the same zeal for the faith as our patron, Francis Xavier, so that we may be inspired to be missionary disciples.
Amen.
Brother Patrick Fumbisha, C.F.X.
To view the full Advent 2021 booklet in English, click here.
For Spanish, click here.
For French, click here.