FR ANDERSON FERNANDES SJ
St Francis Xavier, popularly called ‘Goemcho Saib’ in this part of the world, was a Spaniard by birth, a Jesuit by choice and sent to the East by chance. His encounter with St Ignatius of Loyola, his roommate at the University of Paris, led him on the path of renunciation of his ‘worldly pleasures’ and ‘worldly dreams’ and pursue the path of understanding and discerning what God had in store for him and what God wanted to achieve through him.
The acquaintance between St Ignatius of Loyola and St Francis Xavier happened at Paris where both were pursuing their Masters of Arts degree. St Ignatius “ who was already a spiritual master by then “ apparently asked St Francis Xavier those beautiful words from scripture, “Xavier, what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffers the loss of his soul?”
Contrary to popular belief that the life of Xavier suddenly took a U-turn after listening to these words, the process of changing his mind and transforming him was more laborious. But ultimately after undergoing the month-long ‘Spiritual Exercises’ of St Ignatius, the person of Francis Xavier did show a marked change and he had this burning desire to do something for Christ. A man of the worldly dreams and of frivolous moods changed into a man of steel and resolute mind. He joined Ignatius in founding the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).
The Society of Jesus was barely a year old in 1541 when St Ignatius of Loyola requested Xavier if he could substitute the ailing Nicholas Bobadilla to the mission in the East. Xavier magnanimously undertook this journey to Goa never to return to the comfort of Europe ever again. He was commissioned as the Papal Nuncio and Legate of John III, King of Portugal.
St Ignatius of Loyola often ended his letters to Jesuits going to the missions with the expression, “ite, inflammate omnia” meaning “Go, set the world on fire.” St Francis Xavier took these words to heart and set sail towards the East. It was an arduous journey by sea of around thirteen months but when consumed with the final goal in mind, these hardships fell by the wayside. Already on board, he never relished the luxuries provided to him. Rather, he was always searching for sick or hungry passengers and took great care of them. The ship “Santiago” already provided Francis a stage to share the goodness and mercy of the Lord.
On arrival in Goa, Francis Xavier went to greet the Bishop of Goa, D Frey Juan de Albuquerque to whom he presented his credentials as papal legate and placed himself at his disposal. Xavier was offered a palatial residence which he refused. He preferred to lodge in the city hospital. The city of Old Goa provided Francis Xavier with ample opportunity to practice what he had been practising earlier in the hospices of Venice in Italy, which were corporal works of mercy like tending to the sick and lepers, visiting the inmates in prisons, and giving religious instruction.
Captured by the charm of his street preaching, crowds used to flock to listen to him. The novelty of his unique catechetical approach and methodology adopted by him in other parts of India too consisted in singing the lessons, like the main truths and precepts of the Faith, which he had rhymed earlier and made the children sing them to get them more easily memorized. Afterwards, he explained each point in the simplest way possible. Francis Xavier wasn’t too good at languages and therefore took the help of interpreters and elders in getting his message across to the locals.
After barely spending a year in Goa, he moved to other parts of the country and then to the Far East “ to Malacca, Japan and beyond. He undertook most of these long travels with joy because of that fire that was burning within him. The message of St Ignatius to Francis Xavier, “Go, set the world on fire” consumed his entire being and he couldn’t just let that fire be contained within himself but made sure it was passed on to people he came in contact with.
We, Goans, are blessed to have the sacred relics of this great missionary saint in our land at the Basilica of Bom Jesu at Old Goa. Francis Xavier teaches and inspires us even after centuries that if you are engulfed with something that burns within you, you simply cannot keep it to yourself.
(The writer is Administrator at the Xavier Centre of Historical Research at Porvorim)
