St. Francis Xavier
One
Today, December 3rd, is the feast of St. Francis Xavier, one of the greatest missionaries in the history of Christianity.
He was born in Spain in 1506. When he was nineteen, he went to the University of Paris where he excelled as an athlete and in partying. That is, until he met Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius was a former Spanish soldier and officer who had his leg crushed by a cannonball. During his convalescence, he underwent a deep conversion and had a dream of gathering a small group of friends who would help him win souls for Christ.
In 1528, when Ignatius enrolled at the University of Paris he was given a room with Francis Xavier who tried to ignore and distance himself from this religious fanatic. He even went so far as to change rooms and publicly ridicule Ignatius about his desire to bring souls to God.
But Ignatius had two great qualities: he pursued genuine friendship with people, he personally invested in them one on one. And he had patience. In the end, these two ingredients won over Francis Xavier.
People come to God through other people. That means that genuine friendship is the key to helping your family and friends to come to know the love of God. Are you putting real effort into genuine friendship with your spouse, kids, grandkids, friends, and colleagues? If not, how will they be set on fire for God?
Ignatius later recounted that Francis was the most difficult person to convert. In his words, he “was the lumpiest dough he ever kneaded.”
Two
We all need a small group of family and friends with whom we share life and faith regularly.
Ignatius of Loyola took the initiative to develop a genuine friendship with Francis Xavier and five others: Peter Faber, Simao (See Mau) Rodriques, Alfonso Salmeron, Diego Lainez, and Nicholas Bobadilla. These seven friends made a commitment to one another to share their life and their faith together.
In a letter of June 16th, 1547, Diego writes, “Every few days we would take our provisions and eat at the home of one of the companions, and after that at the home of another. We would visit each other often, and I think this helped us to stay close. In this time the Lord gave us special help with our studies, in which we did fairly well, directing them always to the glory of the Lord and to the help of our neighbors. We had a special love for one another, and we even helped one another financially as much as we could.”
These seven friends with Ignatius of Loyola at the head, became the Company of Jesus, otherwise known as the Jesuits. And the Jesuits became some of the greatest missionaries and educators in the history of the Church. But it all started with the friendships fostered through the initiative of Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius gathered a little group of friends and the whole world was changed for good.
Three
In 1541, St. Francis Xavier went first to India, then Japan to bring Jesus to a continent in darkness.
From India Francis Xavier wrote this letter to St. Ignatius. “I have not stopped since the day I arrived... I bathed in the sacred waters all the children who had not yet been baptized. This means that I have purified a very large number of children so young that, as the saying goes, they could not tell their right hand from their left. The older children would not let me pray or eat or sleep until I taught them one prayer or another…. I could not refuse so devout a request without failing in devotion myself. I taught them, first the confession of faith in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, then the Apostles’ Creed, the Our Father and Hail Mary. I noticed among them persons of great intelligence. If only someone could educate them in the Christian way of life, I have no doubt that they would make excellent Christians…Many, many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for one reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians. Again and again I have thought of going round the universities of Europe, especially Paris, and everywhere crying out like a madman, riveting the attention of those with more learning than charity: ‘What a tragedy: how many souls are being shut out of heaven and falling into hell, thanks to you!’ I wish they would work as hard at this as they do at their books, and so settle their account with God for their learning and the talents entrusted to them.”
This thought would certainly stir most of them to meditate on spiritual realities, to listen actively to what God is saying to them. They would forget their own desires, their human affairs, and give themselves over entirely to God’s will and his choice. They would cry out with all their heart, “Lord, I am here! What do you want me to do? Send me anywhere you like – even to India.”
Four
What do we learn from Ignatius and Xavier?
Four things strike me about Ignatius and Xavier and the beginning of the Jesuits that led them to make such a strong impact for good on the Church and the world.
First, everyone needs a small group of family and friends with whom we can share our life and our faith regularly.
Second, we can’t simply stop at the broader community level or even within small groups. Why not? Because people need to be known, understood, loved, and cared for as individuals. When this is achieved, one-on-one interactions become the most effective way to encourage and challenge someone toward their next right step.
Third, someone has to take the responsibility and the initiative to gather that small group and then personally invest in the individuals one one-on-one.
Fourth, even though Xavier went solo to India, as the Jesuits grew they learned the strength of going two by two, that it’s more sustainable and a lot more enjoyable if you have a partner.
Five
What is our resolution?
Given these four insights, let’s apply them to ourselves and try to find some resolutions. Who are the small group of family and friends God has placed in my life? What is the mission field he has entrusted to me? Have I taken steps to gather them regularly, once a month or every week, or even daily if I live with them to share a meal or some good activity? Have I invited them to pray the Rosary together?
Who are the individuals that need my personal investment? Who are those I need to make the effort to really know, understand, love, and care for?
Maybe with some I have done a good job. Maybe others I have avoided because they are hard or have hurt me and I resent them. Who could be my partner in the effort to help these souls to God by a small group, a Rosary group and by personal investment?