Saint Francis Xavier

“ Teach me to be poor in spirit; to place no value upon the world's transitory pleasures and honors; to be meek and humble of heart and in patience to possess my soul; to love Thee more and more and to walk always in Thy presence; to be kind and generous to my neighbor; to strive earnestly to advance every day in holiness and perfection. May Thy holy will be accomplished in me. Grant me, above all, the grace of final perseverance, that I may become a saint.
O Mary, immaculate Mother of God! All ye angels and saints of heaven! ”

“ It is enough for us to know, that never saint has been, perhaps, more honoured, nor more loved, in the church, than St Francis Xavier; and that even the enemies of the Society of Jesus have had a veneration and tenderness for him.
But these opinions are not confined to Catholics alone; the very heretics revere Xavier, and Baldeus speaks of him in these terms, in his History of the Indies: "If the religion of Xavier agreed with ours, we ought to esteem and reverence him as another St Paul ”

“ WITH deep and heartfelt veneration I prostrate myself before thee, O glorious St. Anne. Thou art that beloved and privileged creature who on account of thy extraordinary virtues and sanctity wast worthy to receive from God the supreme grace of giving life to the treasure house of all graces, blessed among women, Mother of the Word Incarnate, the most holy Virgin Mary. Deign, therefore, O most compassionate saint, for the sake of this lofty privilege, to receive me into the number of thy true followers, for such I protest I am and desire to remain so long as I may live. ”

“ Francis Xavier, generally called the Apostle of the Indies. He was one of the disciples of Loyola, and the most indefatigable and successful of all the Roman Catholic missionaries. The great scene of his labours was the East Indies and Japan. His zeal led him to contemplate the conversion of the Chinese; but he died on the voyage. He was the patron saint of the Queen of James II., and his aid was invoked when her majesty desired a son. In reference to this august occasion, his life by Bouhours was translated into English by Dryden. ”

“ Francis Xavier, in our church at Manila. Many people were there. He preached very eloquently, and called forth tears from the audience at the narration of the miracle. The devotion of the people toward the saint has been greatly increased. They have all copied his pictures from a painting which the father had painted in Portugal, and which he says greatly resembles the pilgrim figure in which he saw the saint. The Portuguese found here a patache from Macan; and consequently, their people went [thither] by the last of October, in the patache. In their galliot went the captain-general. ”

“ The Father arose, instantly cured. So well has the saint kept this promise, that this devotion in his honor became universally known as the Novena of Grace. Its efficacy is not restricted to the dates mentioned. It may be made very appropriately in preparation for the feast of St. Francis Xavier, viz., the 3d of December. Though any prayers may be said in honor of the saint, the following are generally recommended.
Prayer to St. ”

“ Joseph there are devotions and devotions, some of them sensible, a number of them not very sensible, and it is no wonder, nor any loss, if the latter have disappeared as they should; only it is a pity that those who have never practised solid devotion to the saint should be deprived of it utterly in every form when they grow out of the puerile and sometimes unreasonable practices they were taught to follow in his honor. ”

“ Joseph never refuses to aid those who confide themselves and their affairs to his patronage. As expressed on one occasion by a contemporary preacher, this saint has been set over the human race in the character of father and head of the family ”

“ The Sovereign Pontiff, Pius VI, by a brief, Oct. 2, 1795, granted to all the faithful, every time that, with at least contrite heart and devotion, they shall say this prayer, an indulgence of one hundred days.
All ye holy angels and saints of God, and especially you, my dear patron saint, pray for me!
May the Lord bless me, preserve me from all evil, and bring me to life everlasting.
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
V. Eternal rest give to them, O Lord;
R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
Indulgence of 50 days, each time. ”

“ For not only did neither Xavier nor his co-workers know anything of the mighty works afterward attributed to him, but the highest contemporary authority on the whole subject, a man in the closest correspondence with those who knew most about the saint, a member of the Society of Jesus in the highest standing and one of its accepted historians, not only expressly tells us that Xavier wrought no miracles, but gives the reasons why he wrought none. ”

“ Borne up by invincible courage and never-failing patience, these men have endured privations, braved dangers, walked through pestilence, and borne all toils, fatigues, and sufferings, yet held on their way rejoicing, glorying even in martyrdom itself. Of these one of the first and most illustrious was Francis Xavier. Born of noble lineage, and with pleasure, power, and honour within his reach, he proved by his life that there are higher objects in the world than rank, and nobler aspirations than the accumulation of wealth. ”

“ Francis Xavier, could run from one end of the world to the other, to convert a soul, and think it no long journey. The dangers by sea and land seemed sweet, the tempests pleasing, the labor easy, and his whole time well employed. ”

“ Most holy father Francis Xavier, who didst receive praise from the mouths of innocent children, I humbly implore thy bountiful charity, for the sake of the most Precious Blood of Jesus, and of the immaculate conception of our Blessed Lady, Mother of God, to obtain of God's infinite goodness that, at the approach of my last hour, my heart may be separated and withdrawn from all worldly thoughts and distractions, and be fixed in the most ardent love of him, and the desire of a happy eternity ”

“ Father Xavier must not be left in too luxurious a position. The Chevalier La Salle was now fitting out his little band designed to explore the lakes and follow the Mississippi from its source to the Gulf. A most important expedition; it would be well that the Jesuit fathers should share in the honors if it proved successful, and if the little party perished in its hazardous enterprise Père Francis Xavier could perhaps be spared as easily as any member of his spiritual army. ”

“ Se leueront-ils point au iour du iugement cõtre nous ces petits facteurs, & pescheurs de mouluë pour nous condamner, s'ils prennent plus de peine pour gaigner vne piece d'argent, que nous pour aider à sauuer les Sauuages. Ceste pensée pique si fort nos [241] cœurs, qu'on ne sent point son mal, ou si on le sent on ne s'en oseroit plaindre.
28 A thousand times the thought of saint François Xavier passes through our minds, and has great power over us. ”

“ His privations, heroism, and success have been the constant theme of the Roman Catholic Church. And it is impossible to study his life without a conviction that there was in it a devout and gallant purpose to bless the world.
Our limits and our line of thought alike demand of us that we shall not attempt, in any exhaustive form, to treat of Francis Xavier from the theologic or controversial side. He interests us, apart from his personal character, simply because two Latin hymns have been accredited to his pen. ”

“ Francis Xavier; for on those efforts must depend, in a great measure, the permanency and spread of Catholic missions the world over. Unfortunately, the Society of St. Francis Xavier has gone backward rather than forward, in Germany, during the last ten years. In many places it has ceded to other societies. And yet it should not be so. The Society of St. Francis Xavier is and must remain the first and most important of all missionary associations. It embraces the missions to all parts of the world, and they all look to it for support. ”

“ There is nothing more destructive of religion than superstition, and nothing which kills faith like credulity. Xavier, with all his false notions, was a most sincere and even majestic figure—a hero of the faith, who shows us the power of a thoroughly devoted spirit unencumbered by any earthly tie and unobstructed by any earthly want. ”

“ Ignatius said of a lay-brother who was a mason that he wrought for himself in Heaven as many crowns as he laid bricks or gave strokes of the hammer, on account of the pure and upright intention with which he animated these works.
It is told of St. Francis Xavier that he was very careful to do little things well, and that he used to say: "We must not deceive ourselves, for he who does not take pains to excel in little things, will never do so in great." ”

“ Lord God of the Angels, to whom thou dost commit the guardianship of men, I offer unto thee the merits of these heavenly spirits, and those of thy servant St Francis Xavier, who also was called an angel for his purity, and because he preserved men from many spiritual and corporal dangers. I beseech thee to grant me that purity of soul and body which thou didst confer on this thy holy Apostle, and that particular grace which I beg in this Novena, to thy greater honour and glory. ”

“ He is endued with the supernatural knowledge of some things. A cross, erected by Xavier, becomes famous. The constancy of the Christians in Amboyna.
The reputation of Xavier was not confined to the kingdom of Travancore; it was spread abroad through all the Indies; and the God of the Christians, at the same time, was had in so great veneration, that the most idolatrous nations sent to desire the saint, that he would come and give them baptism. His joy was infinite, to find the Gentiles, of their own free motion, searching after the way of eternal life ”

“ The Bishop of Montreal could never have guessed with what heartfelt joy his command was obeyed. Father Xavier was tired of this peaceful life, tired of "the endless wash of melancholy waves," of the short cool summers, and long white blank of winter; tired of inaction, of the lack of stimulating surroundings, of the gentleness of Father Ignatius and Marie's haunting smile. Here, too, might be the very occasion he craved of making himself famous and deserving of reward as an explorer. ”

“ Urged and animated by this all-absorbing love, they have not counted life even as dear to them, but given it up freely and gladly under the most frightful torments. Look at the labors and sufferings of others, for example, of a St. Francis Xavier, enough in his case, one would suppose, to kill twenty ordinary men, all endured with the most heroic cheerfulness and joy. No, depend upon it, the labors and duties of ordinary life will seem trifling in the eyes of the Christian who longs for the love of Jesus Christ. His soul burns for opportunities. ”

“ These honours which Xavier received from the king of Bungo, made him so considerable, and gave him so great a reputation with the people, that being at his lodgings with the Portuguese, they came thronging from all quarters to hear him speak of God. His public sermons, and his private conversations, had their due effect. Vast multitudes of people, from the very first, renounced their idols, and believed in Jesus Christ. The saint employed whole days together in baptising of idolaters, or in teaching new believers ”

“ It is worth mentioning that the Jesuits themselves and most of their historians deny that they ever had power to perform miracles, and ascribe the cures to the faith of the patients alone. St. Xavier, it is well known, brought the dead to life again, and even if we assume that they lay only in syncope and had not yet really died, the recovery is scarcely less striking. The most remarkable of these cases is that of an only daughter of a Japanese nobleman. ”

“ Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier. I bear, all unworthy as I am, the name of Xavier. I have been taught by the most distinguished Jesuits, and I know how much good they have done for the Church, so that as the Church cannot be separated from the Pope, he cannot be separated from the Society. These are sad days and there never was witnessed greater audacity and hate. Impiety has never employed greater cunning against the truth. Perhaps very soon other grievous wounds will be inflicted on the Church; but together we shall fight the enemies of God. ”

“ This work shows a vast increase in the number of miracles over those given by all sources together up to that time. Xavier is represented as not only curing the sick, but casting out devils, stilling the tempest, raising the dead, and performing miracles of every sort.
In 1622 came the canonization proceedings at Rome. Among the speeches made in the presence of Pope Gregory XV, supporting the claims of Xavier to saintship, the most important was by Cardinal Monte. In this the orator selects out ten great miracles from those performed by Xavier during his lifetime and describes them minutely. ”

“ The good man, sensibly afflicted at the ill conduct of his graceless son, wept day and night; and Xavier began at first to comfort him, saying, those vices were ordinary in youth, and riper age would reclaim him from them. Having done speaking, he stood mute awhile, and recollected himself; then, suddenly lifting up his eyes to heaven, "Know," said he, "that you are the most happy father in the world. This libertine son, who has given you so many disquiets, shall one day change his manners, he shall be a religious of the order of St Francis, and at last shall die a martyr." ”