Reflection on Today's Readings, Thursday, First Week of Advent, Year B, and the Memorial of St. Francis Xavier December 3rd, 2020
Texts: Is. 26:1-6; Ps. 118:1.8-9.19-21.25-27; Matt. 7:21.24-27
Reading about St. Francis Xavier could make one uneasy, unsatisfied and emptied. It could make one unsatisfied and emptied because confronting him could render one's righteous deeds useless; it is like testing one's righteousness in fire and the fire burns it. He had so great a missionary zeal that puts him in the pedestal of St. Paul; he evangelized peoples of diverse cultures and languages successfully in their own languages that we can say that God repeated the event of the Pentecost in him; the Holy Spirit truly descended on him in form of tongues of fire. In the words of Thomas Pazhayampallil: "He was mad with St. Paul's madness, and drunk with the drunkenness of the Apostles at Pentecost." He adds thus: "Francis Xavier is one of the greatest missionaries the Church has ever had. He undertook tiresome journeys, wearisome ministries. He spent toilsome days, sleepless nights. He faced the inclemency of the weather, opposition from men, dangers from sea and wild animals. But he was undaunted by the adverse circumstances. The astonishing thing about this man is that he accomplished his work in countries thousands of miles apart, at a time when it took months to cover by boat distances, and among people so different from one another, in language, customs, etc. like India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and all this in the brief span of ten years. With undaunted trust in divine Providence, with complete dedication to noble cause, with an unshakable determination to surmount any and every obstacle, Francis preached the Gospel" (Words of Eternal Life).
God worked miracle in his life while he was alive and also in his death: despite that his corpse was rubbed with chemical to hasten its decomposition, it did not decay, it was as fresh as when he died. When a piece was cut after two months, the wound was full of blood.
St. Francis believed in today's prophecy of Isaiah: "Open the gates, that the righteous nations which keeps faith may enter in." He worked tirelessly to keep the gates of faith open for nations to enter. He advanced the cause of Jesus Christ, for it is in him (Jesus Christ) that the gates of faith are open to all nations. The promised salvation shall come through faith in Jesus Christ, no longer through biological descent from Abraham. Righteousness shall be the rule of life for those who will be admitted into the kingdom of God through faith. Jesus Christ affirms this in today's gospel reading thus: "Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the wins blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." God is this Rock, for Isaiah says, "Trust in the Lord for ever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock." We build our lives on God when we do his will, when we keep the words of his Son, Jesus Christ.
In the kingdom of heaven, the Church, the saving power of God shall be our protection. Hence, prophet Isaiah says, "In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: 'We have a strong city; he (God) sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks. Open the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps faith may enter in." The city is strong because God is the stronghold; his saving power is ever present. This city is the Church and the day the prophet refers to is the day of Christ. At this time of Advent we await our Saviour who is coming to save us. Isaiah speaks of God thus: "You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." As we wait for him, we enjoy his peace.
Lord our God, may our hearts set on doing your will and keeping the words of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ so that we will make great exploit, like St. Francis Xavier, for you. Amen.
Rev. Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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