On behalf of the Reign

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

December 3, 2025 - Celebrating St. Francis Xavier

Ezekiel 3: 17-21; 1 Corinthians 9: 16-19, 22-23; Mark 16: 15-20. 

We celebrate St. Francis Xavier the partron of the Missions today! Every year this commemoration comes within the season of Advent, and for those in Asia, especially in India, it is recommended as a feast... because the great missionary has a strong, important and pertinent message to give us today.  

The Message is about the mission of every Christian, as Ezekiel reminds us today - that we are called to proclaim not as a privilege nor as a profession, but as our personal identity, arising from the very definition of being persons of God. The Gospel reminds us that it is to be carried to every nook and corner of the earth, in simple terms, every where we are, without exceptions. But there are problems and difficulties, dangers and challenges - yes, that is part of the message. 

The Mission of proclamation has a very special affiliation to Advent - because the latter is a season of awaiting a very important "proclamation" carried out as a mission. The proclamation of the vicinity of God to humanity, which becomes the mission of the Son of God, who incarnates to carry out this mission. He carried out this mission, as we read in Ezekiel, in spite of even laying down his own life for humanity. Hence, advent itself is a reminder of this Mission.

Francis Xavier's passion for his mission, the fire that he felt burning within him for the mission is easily comparable to the passion of St. Paul or any other apostle for that matter - inviting us to recognise and take seriously our mission of the Reign. Our life of faith, invariable of who we are and what we are involved in, is in itself a mission, a mission on behalf of the Reign!