One of the greatest Catholic legends of the 15th century is a Spanish missionary called Francis Xavier.
He along with Ignatius of Loyola co – founded the Society of Jesus (SJ), and under his tutelage and leadership was one of the first seven Jesuits to take pledge of Chastity and Poverty in Paris under the leadership of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Francis was the first foreign missionary to visit India on the order of the then Pope and was instrumental for the rise and spread of the Roman Catholic faith in India.
After landing in Goa as part of the India mission, Francis learnt the local language and started preaching, teaching catechism and attending to the sick.
These generous acts to a depleted community then, attracted the attention of the masses who had no leadership nor foresight and vision. In Francis they saw a man who not only showed them a way, but that way lead to education and light towards the path of Jesus Christ.
Born amidst rich worldly surroundings on April 7, 1506 in the family castle of Xavier Navarre in Spain. Francis the fifth and youngest sibling of Juan de Jasso and Maria de Azpilcueta, from a very tender age, the child showed signs of great promise.
Francis an avid reader and learner, blossomed into a dynamic young man, quite bold and fearless in his ways.
He completed his degree at the university of Paris and went on to become a professor. He earned acclaim from his seniors and was fondly admired by his students for his friendly and helpful demeanour.
However, it was not long before human nature got the better of Francis and he began to succumb to the ways of the world and nurtured big dreams of becoming successful like his father, who was a doctor of law from the University of Bologna.
His newly acquired life mission of the world had no Christ in it, but all this was his dream, the Creator had carved a different destiny for this valiant soldier to fight battles for his greater glory.
All this unfolded as time went by and things were to change with the entry of a new friend he met at university – Ignatius of Loyola.
The Conversion:
At the university, Francis met a fellow student, Ignatius of Loyola, a renowned scholar and thinker of his time who would enlighten Francis against delving deep in the matters of a pleasure filled worldly life. It was not long before Ignatius succeeded in breaking his friend’s resistance and the golden lines, he said to Francis from Mathew 16:26 – What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul – got Francis thinking.
Gradually and with much education from Loyola, a stubborn Francis began to see beyond his big dreams and started getting attracted to Jesus Christ, his life and teachings, thus began the illustrious journey of the transformation of Francis the princely youth into Francis the enlightened one in Christ, who started seeking Jesus more than anything else and denounced his own rich life to follow the modesty of Jesus Christ.
Priestly ordination and Mission in India:
Francis was ordained a priest on June 24, 1537 in Venice. On May 6th 1542, he was the first Jesuit missionary to touch the shores of Goa – then the Capital of the mighty Portuguese Empire – thirteen months after he had left Lisbon with great enthusiasm.
Upon arriving in Goa, he saw the cruelty towards the slaves and how the poor were neglected. He also witnessed rampant illiteracy and hence started St Paul’s Jesuit School and later College at Old Goa in 1542. By 1552, St Paul’s College in Goa was talked about in the entire Portuguese Empire and attracted young men from across the World.
He devoted himself to help the poor and sick and zealously encouraged people to live a good life.
After seven years on the South India coast constantly travelling up and down, preaching, teaching, consoling, comforting, begging for the poor, visiting the sick, Francis moved on to Sri Lanka, from time – to -time returning to visit his headquarters in Goa.
In Goa:
In Goa Xavier decided that he must begin by instructing the Portuguese themselves, and gave much of his time to the teaching of children. He spent time in preaching and ministering to the sick in the hospitals. Later, he walked through the streets ringing the bell to summon the children and slaves to catechism.
Takes Jesus’ message to Japan:
In 1549 Francis sailed to Japan, arriving at Kagoshima, the most southerly point of Japan. He translated an abridged statement of Christian belief into Japanese and made a hundred converts in a year.
Francis was the first Jesuit to go to Japan as a missionary. He took with him paintings of the Madonna and the Madonna with child Jesus. These paintings were used to help teach the Japanese about Christianity.
Man of Wisdom:
Francis was a man of few words but whenever he spoke his words were filled with great wisdom and touched the hearts of whom he preached to. In his sermons, he always enlightened about the salvation that Jesus had promised, and glorified his supreme sacrifice of laying down his life on the cross in order to save all humanity.
Francis paid special attention to the poor and the destitute soldiers and would always check on the sick and comfort them. His service to humanity in the name of Christ was selfless and equal.
Francis never made distinctions and preached that all are equal in the eyes of Jesus. His colleagues lovingly bestowed on him the title of, “Holy Father”.
Miraculous crucifix:
The exemplary faith Francis developed is listed through an incident.
Once in one of his voyages, Francis and his fellow men encountered a rough storm. The boat in which they were travelling started shaking violently against the winds and the waves. The crew onboard was scared and went up to Francis to pray. Without wasting any time, Francis drew up his crucifix, and began to dip it in the raging sea, in a way to ask God to intervene and calm the storm and save them from the eminent danger.
But the tilting of the ship amidst the raging storm and wind, made the crucifix fall into the deep sea.
The storm immediately subsided, but Francis was much grieved about the lost crucifix.
As strange are the ways of God, the following day as they were walking by the shore, a crab crawled out of the water holding in its claws the very crucifix, which had fallen off into the sea.
Amidst all the dangers and difficulties, Francis kept his usual cheerfulness and always had a smile on his face, which be attributed to prayer and the unfailing love of Jesus.
The missionary days of Francis came to an end on November 21, 1552 when he took seriously ill which confined him to his modest hut on the shore of the island of Sancian (Now Shangch’uan Tao).
Even as he lay sick in bed, Francis was burning with the love for his Master. He kept to prayer and meditation, but on November 28, he slipped into a coma only to regain consciousness on December 1.
Throughout his waking hours he prayed constantly to his “Master” until the early morning of December 3, when he died at a young age of 46.
His body was buried on the island, and when spring came his remains were exhumed and taken to Malacca, and a few years after that to Goa, where they were interred in the Bom Jesus Basilica at Old Goa.
The Pope Paul V on October 25, 1619 declared Fr. Francis Xavier as “Blessed”. Pope Gregory on March 12 1622, “Canonized” Francis Xavier.
His feast is celebrated on December 3, specially in Goa, where his mortal remains are placed in a glass container encased in a silver casket at the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Old Goa.
As we come across the life of St. Francis Xavier, we come across different episodes like:
- He resuscitates a boy who died in a well at Cape Comorin.
- He cures miraculously a man full of sores.
- He resuscitates three persons: a man who was buried at Coulao, a boy about to be buried at Multao, and a child.
- He takes money from his empty pockets and gives to a Portuguese at Malyapore.
- Francis kneels down and, on his shoulders, there rests a child whom he restores to health.
- He cures a dumb and paralytic man in Amanguchi.
- He cures a deaf Japanese person.
- Due to the lack of water, he sweetens the sea water during a voyage.
Even to this day throughout the world people receive favours from St. Francis Xavier just like the early Christians.
In 1910, Francis was made patron of the “Propagation of the faith”. And, in recognition of the innumerable works contributed throughout his lifetime for the cause of missions, the Church rightly dedicated and honoured St. Francis Xavier with the title, “Patron of Missions.”
We in Goa are honoured to be hosting the resting place of this greatest missionary saint of the Roman Catholic Church and through whose divine intercession with Jesus Christ, he saves the land and its people from many disasters.
By Francisca Fatima da Costa