December 3--St. Francis Xavier, Priest and Religious

Portrait of St. Francis Xavier by Unknown Artist licensed under public domain.

He was the most famous missionary since St. Paul! He traveled to India, Malaysia, the Maluku Islands, Japan, and China. He converted about 30,000 souls. He evangelized in native languages, adapted to native cultures, and promoted native clergy. He co-founded the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, and was named “Patron of Catholic Missions” by Pope Pius XI. That is quite a résumé for today’s saint, St. Francis Xavier!

Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “St. Francis Xavier … saw as his own mission ‘opening new ways of access’ to the Gospel ‘in the immense Continent of Asia’. His apostolate in the Orient lasted barely 10 years, but in the four and half centuries that the Society of Jesus has existed it has proven wonderfully fruitful, for his example inspired a multitude of missionary vocations among young Jesuits and he remains a reference point for the continuation of missionary activity in the great countries of the Asian Continent.”

Jesus commissioned the Apostles and, through them, us as well: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt. 28:19-20). We do not have to go to India or Japan or China. We just need to go to our families or neighbors or colleagues or friends. They need to see and hear in us that we have something great to share: Jesus loves us and them. The Church welcomes us all into her midst. We just need to repent of our sins and live as the saints Jesus calls us to be. What greater missionary effort is there than to love our neighbors?

February 6--St. Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

Jesus told us to take up our cross, but that was figurative, right? Nobody has been crucified since the Roman persecutions. Wrong! St. Paul Miki and 25 other Japanese, European, and Mexican men and boys were crucified and lanced to death in 1597 in Nagasaki, Japan. Born the son of a Japanese military leader, St. Paul Miki was educated by the Jesuits and became a Jesuit brother preparing for priesthood. At his death he preached: “As I come to this supreme moment of my life, I am sure none of you would suppose I want to deceive you. And so I tell you plainly: there is no way to be saved except the Christian way. My religion teaches me to pardon my enemies and all who have offended me. I do gladly pardon the Emperor and all who have sought my death. I beg them to seek baptism and be Christians themselves.”

Japan had been evangelized by St. Francis Xavier and others in 1549 and was looked upon with favor by the Japanese authorities. About 200,000 Japanese had converted, including local rulers. However, this changed when political elements of trade started to concern the primary leader, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and his successors to the point that they were outlawed, hunted, and executed. There are around 1,000 known martyrs of this period.

After Japan was opened to foreign interaction by Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853, it was discovered that thousands of Japanese in the Nagasaki area had maintained their faith for almost 250 years without priests through the rite of baptism. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Today, there are 509,000 Catholics in Japan, less than one-half of one percent of the total population. St. Paul Miki and companions, pray for us.