Memorial of Saint
Francis Xavier, priest
(Isaiah 11:1-10; Luke 10:21-24)
When St. Francis Xavier was a missionary, probably in
India, he found the people very receptive of the faith. One letter home expressed how he exhausted
himself baptizing children without reaching anywhere near the majority of
people. He wrote how he fantasized returning
to a European university “crying out like a madman” to the men who kept their
noses in books. He would tell them, “…how
many souls are being shut out of heaven and falling into hell, thanks to you.”
Advent underscores a similar message. It urges people to wake from their
indifference. It announces that Christ
is at hand with salvation for themselves as well as for others. They must prepare for his arrival by acts of
justice and mercy.
What will it be like when he gets here? The season picks out the promise of Isaiah that
we hear in the first reading today to describe the wonder of his presence. There will be peace like nothing ever known
before: enemies embracing, fear vanishing, and everyone rejoicing in the Lord.
