This week, we return to reflecting on Pope Francis’ Wednesday audience series on “The Passion for Evangelization” by looking at his May 17, 2023, audience about St. Francis Xavier.
Like St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, St. Francis Xavier is the patron of missions, and his example helps us to further understand the importance of mission work and relevance of apostolic zeal.
St. Francis Xavier was born in 1506 in Navarre, a province in northern Spain, to a noble family as the fifth and youngest child.
In his youth, Francis Xavier was a very ambitious, intelligent, and worldly man and went to study in Paris. There, Xavier met Ignatius of Loyola, who made him do spiritual exercises that changed his life; the two became one another’s closest friends. Together, along with several other companions, they formed the Society of Jesus, placing themselves at the service of the Pope to help with the needs of the Church.
Francis Xavier became a priest in 1537, along with Ignatius, and was sent off to the East in 1541 to evangelize.
The 16th century was in the midst of the great Age of Discovery, and Francis Xavier was called for great missionary outreach. During this time period, journeys to the East meant being sent off to unknown worlds. Embarking on such a mission meant encountering unknown cultures and foreign languages and required placing great trust in God. Moreover, such missions involved incredibly dangerous journeys; sailing was very harsh and came at the risk of disease and shipwrecks.
Xavier’s missionary work
Along the way to Asia, Xavier stopped and assisted with previously established missions in Mozambique, Kenya, and Socotra, before eventually arriving in Goa, India.
From there, “he went on to evangelize the poor fishermen of the southern coast of India, teaching the Catechism and prayers to children, Baptizing and caring for the sick,” said Pope Francis.
Following this, Francis Xavier set sail for the Maluku islands, an archipelago in Indonesia. He translated the Catechism into the local language, teaching the people to sing the Catechism.
After meeting someone from Japan, a place where no European missionary had previously traveled, Xavier was inspired to go there.
Pope Francis said that “Francis Xavier felt the restlessness of the apostle, of going beyond, and decided to depart as soon as possible.”
Despite many difficulties, including the climate, lack of understanding the language, and opposition, St. Francis Xavier planted seeds in Japan that would bear great fruit.
Eventually, he felt the call to go to China due to its vast size, deep history, and rich culture. However, his plan failed. Xavier waited on an island off the coast of Canton for several months in vain while trying to gain entry to the country. At 46 years old, he died at the gates of China.
Historians say that throughout his ministry, St. Francis Xavier Baptized more than 30,000 individuals, with lore citing numbers up to 100,000.
Prayer and apostolic zeal
Upon reflection on Xavier’s life, what made him willing to undertake such a perilous journey and daunting task? Pope Francis explains that St. Francis Xavier went because he was filled with apostolic zeal. “Christ’s love was the strength that drove him to the furthest frontiers,” remarked Pope Francis.
In all, St. Francis Xavier spent about 11 years as a missionary, with three and half of those being spent on ships. “All these dangers and discomforts, when borne for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, are treasuries filled with heavenly consolations, so much so that . . . one might lose one’s eyesight from weeping so abundantly the sweetest tears of joy” wrote St. Francis Xavier (Letter to the Society at Rome, 21 January 1548).
Pope Francis connects St. Francis’ activities to his dedication to prayer, saying “His intense activity was always joined with prayer, with the mystical and contemplative union with God. He never abandoned prayer because he knew that strength came from there.” St. Francis Xavier’s zeal was the fruit of a life of deep prayer and a loving personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
St. Francis Xavier himself said, “It is impossible to find a saint who did not take the ‘two Ps’ seriously: Prayer and penance.”
Throughout his life, he trusted in the Lord to lead him and continuously answered the call he was given.
Pope Francis said, “To the many young people who feel restless today and do not know what to do with that restlessness, I say: Look to Francis Xavier, look at the horizons of the world, look at the people who are in great need, look at the many people who are suffering, so many people who need Jesus. And have the courage to go.” The Holy Father closed his audience by praying that the Lord may grant all of us the joy to evangelize.