St Francis Xavier
Matthew 15:29-37
Look at Jesus

As we enter the early days of Advent, today’s Gospel invites us into a posture of openness, wonder, and mission—dispositions beautifully embodied by St Francis Xavier, the great missionary to India, Japan, and the shores of China.

In the Gospel, Jesus praises the wisdom of simplicity (Luke 10:21). The deepest truths of God are not grasped by brilliance or argument but received with the openness of a child. Advent calls us to begin again with fresh eyes—to strip away the clutter of over-thinking and return to the simple, joyful heart that recognises God’s presence. St Francis Xavier carried this childlike availability into every land he entered. Whether preaching in Goa, walking the villages of South India, or learning the languages of Japan, he let the Gospel speak in its pure, disarming simplicity.

The Gospel also presents Jesus as revealing the unique intimacy between himself and the Father (Luke 10:22). In Christ, the unknowable God becomes knowable; in Jesus, the Father’s heart becomes visible. Francis Xavier set out on mission not to explain theories about God but to help people encounter the living Christ. His life echoed Jesus’ message: “If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.” Through preaching, baptising, comforting the sick, and teaching the poor, Xavier made visible the compassion of Christ he himself had come to know.

Finally, Jesus declares that He is the fulfilment of history (Luke 10:23–24). The hopes of prophets and saints converge in Him. Francis Xavier believed this wholeheartedly. He was convinced that in Christ all peoples would find their deepest longing. Even as he died on the island of Shangchuan, gazing toward China, his heart burned with the Advent hope that Christ still desires to be known by every nation.

As we begin this holy season, may we seek Christ with the humility of children and the zeal of St Francis Xavier, so that others may come to know the God whom Jesus reveals.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025