December 3, 2021

Readings for the Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, priest

Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest

Lectionary: 179

Reading I

Is 29:17-24

Thus says the Lord GOD:
But a very little while,
    and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard,
    and the orchard be regarded as a forest!
On that day the deaf shall hear
    the words of a book;
And out of gloom and darkness,
    the eyes of the blind shall see.
The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD,
    and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant will be no more
    and the arrogant will have gone;
All who are alert to do evil will be cut off,
    those whose mere word condemns a man,
Who ensnare his defender at the gate,
    and leave the just man with an empty claim.
Therefore thus says the LORD,
    the God of the house of Jacob,
    who redeemed Abraham:
Now Jacob shall have nothing to be ashamed of,
    nor shall his face grow pale.
When his children see
    the work of my hands in his midst,
They shall keep my name holy;
    they shall reverence the Holy One of Jacob,
    and be in awe of the God of Israel.
Those who err in spirit shall acquire understanding,
    and those who find fault shall receive instruction.

Responsorial Psalm

27:1, 4, 13-14

1.  (1a)  The Lord is my light and my salvation.
   The LORD is my light and my salvation;
       whom should I fear?
   The LORD is my life’s refuge;
       of whom should I be afraid?
   R.    The Lord is my light and my salvation.
   One thing I ask of the LORD;
       this I seek:
   To dwell in the house of the LORD
       all the days of my life,
   That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
       and contemplate his temple.
   R.    The Lord is my light and my salvation.
   I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
       in the land of the living.
   Wait for the LORD with courage;
       be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
   R.    The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Alleluia

1. Alleluia, alleluia.
   Behold, our Lord shall come with power;
   he will enlighten the eyes of his servants.
   R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 9:27-31

As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out,
“Son of David, have pity on us!” 
When he entered the house,
the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,
“Do you believe that I can do this?” 
“Yes, Lord,” they said to him. 
Then he touched their eyes and said,
“Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 
And their eyes were opened. 
Jesus warned them sternly,
“See that no one knows about this.” 
But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

Reflection: THAT I MAY SEE YOU LORD

Today we celebrate the solemnity of St Francis Xavier, the apostle of India. The darkness of his life was illumined by the reading of the sacred scripture. Nothing could stop him from sharing this light of Christ. As he set out on his great missionary journey, the parting words of St Ignatius were, "go, set all on fire." What fired this zeal was his deep love for Jesus and his union with Christ through prayer. He zealously preached Christ and spent long hours in deep prayer after his active apostolate every day. It is said of him, “During the day he entirely belonged to God and during the night he entirely belonged to God.” A missionary gets his strength in prayer. We are all called to be missionaries of Christ. Pope Francis reiterates the importance of prayer in the life of a missionary. “Without prolonged moments of adoration, of prayerful encounter with the word, of sincere conversation with the Lord, our work easily becomes meaningless; we lose energy as a result of weariness and difficulties, and our fervour dies out” (EG 262). His apostolic zeal was so strong that he laments, “Many, many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for one reason: there is nobody to make them Christians. Again and again I have thought of going round the universities of Europe, especially Paris, and everywhere crying out like a madman. I wish they would work as hard at this as they do at their books, and so settle their account with God for their learning and the talents entrusted to them". In the Gospel two blind men receive sight from Jesus. They are liberated from their spiritual and physical blindness. The first person that they see is Jesus. This encounter with Jesus has changed their lives forever. The same happens to us. When we encounter Jesus with faith, we can never be the same again. Thank you Lord for the gift of missionaries who brought me the light of faith.