St. Francis Xavier, S.J.

Setting the World on Fire for Jesus

When closing meetings with or letters to the members of his community, St. Ignatius Loyola directed his followers to, “Go, set the world on fire.”  While many Jesuits have taken that admonition to heart and done great missionary service, few can approach the legacy left by St. Francis Xavier, S.J.  One of the original followers of St. Ignatius and founders of the Jesuits, St. Francis Xavier had a zeal for saving souls that drove him to journey to lands with little or no Christian presence and to develop new methods of evangelization that inspire people to this day.

Xavier: Missionary & Saint is an impressive documentary produced by the New Orleans Jesuit Province that remarkably captures St. Francis’s passion and creativity in saving souls.  Narrated by Liam Neeson, the film includes clips from interviews with numerous historians expertly woven into dramatizations, beautiful location footage, paintings, and excerpts from Xavier’s letters and other primary source documents.

Several important lessons about St. Francis Xavier’s life and ministry emerge from the film.  These ideas are documented in many writings about St. Francis Xavier, but the combination of visual imagery and brief expert explanations really bring the ideas to life in the video.  The first theme emphasized is that Xavier’s passion for spreading the Gospel made him fearless both in evangelizing dangerous mission lands and in confronting corrupt Europeans who were sinfully exploiting the native populations.[1]  St. Francis Xavier did not hesitate to remind those in authority that one day they would answer before God for the souls scandalized and oppressed by such behavior.

. . . early in 1545, he sent a long letter to King John with an account of his mission. He speaks boldly of the harm these adventurers were doing to the cause, and the danger that heathen who had been gathered into the Church might fall away,-"scandalized and terrified by the many grievous injuries and wrongs which they suffer, especially from your Highness' own servants.... For there is danger that when our Lord God calls your Highness to His judgment that your Highness may hear angry words from him: 'Why did you not punish those who were your subjects and owned your authority, and were enemies of Me in India?'"[2]

Second, St. Francis was highly adaptable and creative in finding ways to reach the people.  “To help simple people, he set Catholic doctrines to rhyme, to fit popular tunes, and these songs were sung everywhere, in fields and workshops, in streets and homes.”[3]  He also was careful to record what methods worked and what failed in his letters to St. Ignatius Loyola so that future missionaries would have a guide.

In the space of one month I made Christians of more than ten thousand. This is the method I followed . . . beginning with the first elements of the Christian faith, I taught them there is one God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and at the same time, calling on the three divine Persons and one God, I made them each make three times the sign of the Cross; then, putting on a surplice, I began to recite in a loud voice and in their own language the form of the general Confession, the Apostle's Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the Ave Maria, and the Salve Regina. Two years ago I translated all these prayers into the language of the country, and learned them by heart. I recited them slowly so that all of every age and condition followed me in them. Then I began to explain shortly the articles of the Creed and the Ten Commandments in the language of the country . . . [4]

The third point that the movie demonstrates is that much of St. Francis Xavier’s success was based on long periods of hard work as well as authentic witness and preaching.  In India, for example, “Xavier devoted two years to the work of preaching to the Paravas, with notable success. Multitudes flocked to hear him, and at times he was so fatigued from administering the Sacrament of Baptism that he could scarcely move his arms . . .”[5]  At other times, he seemed to have little success but always persevered.  After attempting to evangelize the high-caste Brahmans for over a year, he made only one convert.[6]

A fourth lesson we can clearly learn from the documentary is that while St. Francis Xavier never fulfilled his dream of reaching China and converting many souls in China and Japan, his efforts opened the doors for religious exploration and his letters provided some of the best information on East Asia that was available to Europeans at the time.[7]  At the time of his death in 1552, sick and abandoned on an island while waiting for a boat that could take him to China, his efforts in his last years must have seemed like a failure to St. Francis Xavier.  But, many other missionaries who would follow in his footsteps benefitted from the Saint’s efforts and learned from his experiences.[8]

The idea of lighting a fire for God is truly an apt image for the life St. Francis Xavier.  Fire both brings light and purifies or burns away decaying matter that must be shed.  On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, appearing as tongues of fire, burned away the fears and desire for self-preservation of the Apostles and miraculously enlightened them so that they could preach the Gospel to all nations.  St. Francis Xavier demonstrates that same charism and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  In our modern era, when the Church is calling all Catholics to a new evangelization in order to transform our secular culture, we should study and embrace his legacy.  Xavier: Missionary & Saint provides a rich tool for discussions and motivating discipleship.  The film can be purchased through Amazon in DVD format.

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[1] Xavier: Missionary & Saint, Directed by Jeremy Zipple, SJ, 2006, Fourth Week Films and the New Orleans Jesuit Province, DVD.

[2] “Saint Francis Xavier: Apostle of the Indies and Japan – 1506-1552,” EWTN, accessed March 28, 2016, http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/XAVIER2.htm

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] J. Wicki, "Xavier, Francis, St.," New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. Vol. 14, (Detroit: Gale, 2003), 877-879, Gale Virtual Reference Library, accessed April 5, 2016, http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3407712016&v=2.1&u=23009&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=0072afe5d7898b9ebfcd00e2e5ec6729

[6] Ibid.

[7] Xavier: Missionary & Saint.

[8] Ibid.

Bibliography

“Saint Francis Xavier: Apostle of the Indies and Japan – 1506-1552.” EWTN. Accessed March 28, 2016. http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/XAVIER2.htm

Wicki, J. "Xavier, Francis, St." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 14. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 877-879. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Accessed April 5, 2016. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3407712016&v=2.1&u=23009&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=0072afe5d7898b9ebfcd00e2e5ec6729

Xavier: Missionary & Saint. Directed by Jeremy Zipple, SJ. 2006. Fourth Week Films and the New Orleans Jesuit Province. DVD.