Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest ~ 3 December 2015

Today the Catholic Church celebrates the memorial of St.Francis Xavier, one of the greatest Christian missionaries. 

• 7 April 1506, Francis Xavier was born in Navarre, Spain. He was born into a noble family and was the youngest of five children, two girls and three boys.
• Late summer of 1525, Francis left home to pursue his studies at the University of Paris.
• In March 1530, completing his philosophical studies, he received a Master of Arts degree. 
• From 1530 until 1534,he was an instructor in philosophy in the College of Beauvais. 
• From 1534 to 1536, he was studied theology. Francis met two other students who would have a huge influence on his life, Pierre Favre and Ignatius of Loyola.
• In Paris, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier and Pierre Favre were joined by four others: Simon Rodriguez, Jaime Laynez, Alphonso Salmeron and Nicolas Bobadilla. Together these seven companions were united in wanting to spread the Gospel and devoting their lives to the service of God. 
• They decided that they would take vows of chastity and poverty and then make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. 
• 15 August 1534 (on the feast of the Assumption), in the chapel of Montmartre near Paris, these seven companions made their vows. This was an important step in the foundation of the Society of Jesus.
• 24 June 1537, Francis Xavier was ordained a priest in Venice.
• 1540, Francis traveled from Rome to Lisbon. He spent a year, living at a hospice and helping to care for the sick, visiting the poor, and visiting those in prison. 
• 1541, Francis Xavier went on his first missionary journey to India.
• From August 1541 to March 1542, Francis had to remain in Mozambique because of the dangerous seas during wintertime.
• 6 May 1542, Francis reached Goa, India. He was forced to spend the next four months in Goa due to the monsoon weather.
• September 1542, he reached his initial destination the coast in Southern India. Francis was known as a cheerful and good humoured man. 
• October 1543, Francis return to Goa, India. He learned that the Society of Jesus had been formally approved by the Pope and that Ignatius had been elected general and that his companions had taken solemn vows. Francis himself took his own vows before the bishop of Goa. Francis now became superior of India.
• September 1545, Francis Xavier set sail for Malacca.
• Francis Xavier reached Japan. Francis worked for more than two years in Japan spreading the gospel and founding churches and saw his successor-Jesuits established.
• 1552, Back to India and he began to make preparations for his next journey.
• 17 April 1552, Leaving Goa, India to embark journey to China.
• September 1552, reached the Chinese island of Shangchuan, Southern coast of China.
• Between 2 December and 3 December 1552, he died on the Island of Shangchuanon near the coast of China. His dying words were: In te, Domine, speravi, non confundar in aeternum (�In you, O Lord, have I hoped; let me never be confounded�.)
• 11 December 1553, Francis's body was shipped to Goa. The body, having resisted extensive decay, is now in the Basilica of Bom J�sus in Goa, 
• 2 December 1637, his body was transferred into a silver casket.

source: www.gardinerstparish

O God, who through the preaching of Saint Francis Xavier won many peoples to yourself, grant that the hearts of the faithful may burn with the same zeal for the faith and that Holy Church may everywhere rejoice in an abundance of offspring. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reading 1

Isaiah 26:1-6
On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah:

�A strong city have we;
he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.
Open up the gates
to let in a nation that is just,
one that keeps faith.
A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace;
in peace, for its trust in you.�

Trust in the LORD forever!
For the LORD is an eternal Rock.
He humbles those in high places,
and the lofty city he brings down;
He tumbles it to the ground,
levels it with the dust.
It is trampled underfoot by the needy,
by the footsteps of the poor.


Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Open to me the gates of justice;
I will enter them and give thanks to the LORD.
This gate is the LORD�s;
the just shall enter it.
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, grant salvation!
O LORD, grant prosperity!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD;
we bless you from the house of the LORD.
The LORD is God, and he has given us light.
R. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call him while he is near.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.


Gospel

Matthew 7:21, 24-27
Jesus said to his disciples:
�Not everyone who says to me, �Lord, Lord,�
will enter the Kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

�Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine
but does not act on them
will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came,
and the winds blew and buffeted the house.
And it collapsed and was completely ruined.�

Roman Catholic Church Hierarchy

The structure of the clergy body in authority within a Christian church.

Pope

Head of the Catholic church and he is based at the Vatican. The Pope is also Bishop of Rome and Peter�s successor, Also known as "Vicar of Christ" and the "Supreme Pontiff" of the Universal Church, and also a less formal title as the "Servant of the Servants of God". The pope is infallible in defining matters of faith and morals. He is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful. 

Cardinal

Are princes of the Church appointed.by the Pope and they make up the College of Cardinals, whom provides advise the Pope. They are chosen from head departments of the Roman Curia or important episcopal sees throughout the world.Cardinals under the age of 80 also have duty on electing a new Pope upon death or resignation of the current Pope.

Archbishop

An archbishop is a bishop of a main or metropolitan diocese also known as an archdiocese. A cardinal can concurrently hold the title.

Bishop (Diocesan Bishop)

A bishop, like a priest, is ordained to this position/ranking. Ordained to the episcopate is the fullness of the priesthood, are considered the successors of the Apostles. He is a teacher of church doctrine, a priest of sacred worship, and a minister of church government within the diocese or sees he is ordained bishop. The Pope himself is a bishop (the bishop of Rome).

Priest

An ordained priest who can administer most of the sacraments, including the Eucharist, baptism, and marriage in a given congregation. He can be with a particular religious order or committed to serving a congregation.

Deacon

A transitional deacon is a seminarian studying for the priesthood. A permanent deacon can be married and assists a bishop or priest by performing some of the sacraments.

St. John of the Cross, Priest, Doctor of the Church (Memorial) ~ 14 December

"With what procrastinations do you wait, 

since from this very moment 

you can love God in your heart?"

~ St. John of the Cross ~

St. John on the Cross (San Juan de la Cruz) was named Juan de Yepes at his bith in June, 1542 and was the Castilian son of a poor silk weaver of Fontiberos, Toledo, Spain.

St. John in 1563 he offered himself as a lay brother to the Carmelite friars, who, however, perceiving his unusual talents, ordained him in 1567 as a Carmelite priest at 25, he met St.Teresa of Jesus (St.Teresa of Avila) at the Carmelite priory of Medina and like her vowed himself to the primitive rule of the Carmelites. John is a saint because his life was a heroic effort to live up to his name: �of the Cross.� where �Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.� (Mark 8:34), and the Way of the Cross is the story of John�s life. He had a great devotion to Our Lord's Passion and voluntarily sought out humiliations. When Our Lord asked him what reward he would ask for his labors, John answered: "To suffer and to be despised for Thee." In April, 1571, John was appointed rector of a Discalced Carmelite college at the university of Alcal� near Madrid. In September, 1572, John was brought by Teresa to serve for the next five years as a confessor and spiritual director, along with another friar, for the 130 nuns at the Convent of the Incarnation in �vila. One day at some point between 1574 and 1577, while praying in the Monastery of the Incarnation in �vila, in a loft overlooking the sanctuary, John had a vision of the crucified Christ, which led him to create his famous drawing of Christ "from above". In 1641, this drawing was placed in a smallmonstrance and kept in �vila.

St. John died in �beda, Spain on 14 December, 1591, of erysipelas. he was only beatified in 1675 by Pope Clement X, and was canonized by Benedict XIII in 1726. St. John was a great contemplative and spiritual writer. He was proclaimed Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI on 24 August, 1926. He is the patron of contemplative life, mystical theology, mystics, and Spanish poets.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, 

You gave Saint John of the Cross 

the grace of complete self-denial 

and an ardent love for the cross of Christ. 

Grant that by following always in his footsteps 

we may come to the eternal vision of Your glory. 

Amen.

O God, who gave the Priest Saint John
an outstanding dedication to perfect self-denial
and love of the Cross,
grant that, by imitating him closely at all times,
we may come to contemplate eternally your glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Saturday, 14 December, 2013 

St. John of the Cross, Priest, Doctor of the Church (Memorial)

Reading

Sirach 48: 1 - 4, 9 - 11
1	Then the prophet Elijah arose like a fire, and his word burned like a torch.
2	He brought a famine upon them, and by his zeal he made them few in number.
3	By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens, and also three times brought down fire.
4	How glorious you were, O Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! And who has the right to boast which you have?
9	You who were taken up by a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with horses of fire;
10	you who are ready at the appointed time, it is written, to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury, to turn the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
11	Blessed are those who saw you, and those who have been adorned in love; for we also shall surely live.

Psalm

Psalms 80: 2 - 3, 15 - 16, 18 - 19
2	before E'phraim and Benjamin and Manas'seh! Stir up thy might, and come to save us!
3	Restore us, O God; let thy face shine, that we may be saved!
15	the stock which thy right hand planted.
16	They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance!
18	Then we will never turn back from thee; give us life, and we will call on thy name!
19	Restore us, O LORD God of hosts! let thy face shine, that we may be saved!

Gospel

Matthew 17: 10 - 13
10	And the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say that first Eli'jah must come?"
11	He replied, "Eli'jah does come, and he is to restore all things;
12	but I tell you that Eli'jah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands."
13	Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

Mine are the heavens 

and mine is the earth. 

Mine are the nations, 

the just are mine 

and mine the sinners. 

The angels are mine, 

and the Mother of God, 

and all things are mine; 

and God himself is mine 

and for me, 

because Christ is mine 

and all for me. 

What do you ask, then, 

and seek my soul? 

Yours is all of this, 

and all is for you. 

Do not engage your self 

in something less 

or pay heed to the crumbs 

that fall from your Father's table. 

Go forth and exult 

in your Glory! 

Hide yourself in it and rejoice, 

and you will obtain 

the supplications of your heart.

~ St. John of the Cross ~

St. Francis Xavier, Priest (Memorial)

3 December , commemorates the dedication, mission and service that Saint Francis Xavier committed himself to through his outreach of faith and missionary work in India, Asia and Europe. Born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta in Spain on 7 April, 1506, Francis Xavier was a co-founder of the Society of Jesus in 15 August 1534 together with Ignatius of Loyola and five others. Francis Xavier came to India with the Portuguese Viceroy of Goa in 1543, St. Francis was a great Roman Catholic missionary to Africa, India, South East Asia (Mallaca, Maluku islands, Ambon island, etc), China and Japan, mainly in the Portuguese Empire. He devoted much of his life to missions in Asia. He managed to convince the truth about the Good News and convert many pagans. We too should be consider our mission as Jesus' last words on earth were to his disciples, telling them "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt 28:19)

Francis Xavier died from a fever at Shangchuan island (S�o Jo�o Island), Portuguese Base, China, on 3 December 1552 and on 11 December 1553, Xavier's body was shipped to Goa. The body is now in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa, where it was placed in a glass container encased in a silver casket on 2 December 1637. Francis Xavier body lies uncorrupt or decayed till this day. Francis Xavier was beatified by Paul V on 25 October 1619, and was canonized by Gregory XV on 12 March 1622.

Prayer by Saint Francis Xavier

Eternal God, Creator of all things, remember that You alone has created the souls of unbelievers, which You have made according to Your Image and Likeness. Behold, O Lord, how to Your dishonor many of them are falling into Hell. Remember, O Lord, Your Son Jesus Christ, Who so generously shed His Blood and suffered for them. Do not permit that Your Son, Our Lord, remain unknown by unbelievers, but, with the help of Your Saints and the Church, the Bride of Your Son, remember Your mercy, forget their idolatry and infidelity, and make them know Him, Who You have sent, Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Lord, Who is our salvation, our life, and our resurrection, through Whom we have been saved and redeemed, and to Whom is due glory forever. Amen.

Tuesday, December 03, 2013
St. Francis Xavier, Priest (Memorial)

Reading

Isaiah 11: 1 - 10
1	There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2	And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3	And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear;
4	but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
5	Righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist, and faithfulness the girdle of his loins.
6	The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.
7	The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8	The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.
9	They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
10	In that day the root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the peoples; him shall the nations seek, and his dwellings shall be glorious.

Psalm

Psalms 72: 1, 7 - 8, 12 - 13, 17
1	Give the king thy justice, O God, and thy righteousness to the royal son!
7	In his days may righteousness flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!
8	May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!
12	For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.
13	He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
17	May his name endure for ever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May men bless themselves by him, all nations call him blessed!

Gospel

Luke 10: 21 - 24
21	In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will.
22	All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
23	Then turning to the disciples he said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see!
24	For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

Novena of Grace

The Miraculous Novena of Grace, is a Catholic devotion addressed to Saint Francis Xavier, usually recited from March 4 to March 12 and the devotion spread far and wide and it has been instrumental in obtaining many favours, spiritual and temporal. It can be recited also at any time outside the mention period for the same purpose. 

"Most amiable and most loving Saint Francis Xavier, in union with thee I reverently adore the Divine Majesty. I rejoice exceedingly on account of the marvellous gifts which God bestowed upon thee. I thank God for the special graces He gave thee during thy life on earth and for the great glory that came to thee after thy death. I implore thee to obtain for me, through thy powerful intercession, the greatest of all blessings--that of living and dying in the state of grace. I also beg of thee to secure for me the special favour I ask in this novena. (Here you may mention the grace, spiritual or temporal, that you wish to obtain.) In asking this favor, I am fully resigned to the Divine Will. I pray and desire only to obtain that which is most conducive to the greater glory of God and the greater good of my soul."

It is then customary to say:

V. Pray for us, Saint Francis Xavier. 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

O God, Who didst vouchsafe, by the preaching and miracles of Saint Francis Xavier, to join unto Thy Church the nations of the Indies, grant, we beseech Thee, that we who reverence his glorious merits may also imitate his example, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Then add 3 Our Father's and 3 Hail Mary's in memory of Saint Francis Xavier's devotion to the Most Holy Trinity, and Glory be to the Father 10 times in thanksgiving for the graces received during his 10 years of apostleship.

St. Leonard of Port Maurice, OFM, Priest (Memorial)

20 December 1676 ~ 26 November 1751

Beatified on 19 June 1796 by Pope Pius VI

Canonized on 29 June 1867 by Pope Pius IX

Leonard was born in Port Maurice on the north-western coast of Italy and named Paul Jerome Casanuova. In 1697, he joined the Friars Minor and on 2 October 1697, he received the habit with the name of Brother Leonard. Leonard, was devoted and widely promoted the devotion of the Stations of the Cross. St. Leonard preached the Way of the Cross at missions for forty-three years and reportedly set up stations in 571 locations throughout Italy, including the Colosseum in Rome. The Franciscan Order celebrates his feast on 26 November.

Tuesday, 26 November, 2013
St. Leonard of Port Maurice, OFM, Priest (Memorial)

Reading

Daniel 2: 31 - 45
31	"In your vision, O king, you saw a statue, very large and exceedingly bright, terrifying in appearance as it stood before you.
32	The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs bronze,
33	the legs iron, its feet partly iron and partly tile.
34	While you looked at the statue, a stone which was hewn from a mountain without a hand being put to it, struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces.
35	The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once, fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer, and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
36	"This was the dream; the interpretation we shall also give in the king's presence.
37	You, O king, are the king of kings; to you the God of heaven has given dominion and strength, power and glory;
38	men, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell, he has handed over to you, making you ruler over them all; you are the head of gold.
39	Another kingdom shall take your place, inferior to yours, then a third kingdom, of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth.
40	There shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; it shall break in pieces and subdue all these others, just as iron breaks in pieces and crushes everything else.
41	The feet and toes you saw, partly of potter's tile and partly of iron, mean that it shall be a divided kingdom, but yet have some of the hardness of iron. As you saw the iron mixed with clay tile,
42	and the toes partly iron and partly tile, the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
43	The iron mixed with clay tile means that they shall seal their alliances by intermarriage, but they shall not stay united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
44	In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever.
45	That is the meaning of the stone you saw hewn from the mountain without a hand being put to it, which broke in pieces the tile, iron, bronze, silver, and gold. The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future; this is exactly what you dreamed, and its meaning is sure."

Psalm

Daniel 3: 57 - 61
57	Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
58	Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
59	You heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
60	All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
61	All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.

Gospel

Luke 21: 5 - 11
5	And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said,
6	"As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
7	And they asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?"
8	And he said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, `I am he!' and, `The time is at hand!' Do not go after them.
9	And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once."
10	Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom;
11	there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.