Tuesday 2 December 2014

Dec 03 - St. Francis Xavier, Wednesday of the First week of Advent

POZZO_Andrea_Saint_Francis_Xavier
Today is the memorial of St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552)

Born in the family castle of Xavier, near Pamplona in the Basque area of Spanish Navarre on Apr. 7, he was sent to the University of Paris in 1525. There he met St. Ignatius Loyola with whom he received Holy Orders in Venice in 1537. In 1540 he was sent to evangelize India. He labored in western India, the island of Ceylon, Malacca, Molucca Islands, island of Mindanao (Philippines), and Japan. In 1552 he started on a voyage to China but died on Sancian Island.   -catholicfire.blogspot.com
Ave Maria!



Published on 21 Jul 2012
SFX Exposition 1994-95, Goa India. Next Expo 2014-15
Death & Burials:
St. Francis died on December 3, 1552, at age of 46. He was first buried on Shangchuan Dao's beach (China). His intact body was taken from the island in February 1553. It was temporarily buried (2nd time) in St. Paul's church in Malacca on March 22, 1553. His body was once again removed shortly after April 15, 1553 by his friend Pereira and took it at a his place
On December 11, 1553 (after one year from death) the incorrupt body of Francis Xavier was shipped to Goa. The body is now in the Basilica of Bom Jésus in Goa, where it is placed into a glass / silver casket.

Exposition: (Once in 10 years)
The silver casket is lowered for public viewing only during the public exposition, which most recently took place in 1994-95, 2004-05. Next would be in 2014-15. The Exposition last about 6 weeks from Late Nov to Early Jan.
Some clips of 'St. Francis Exposition' available with You Tube.

The singing in the background clip: Locals singing a hymn of SFX at a roadside Holy Cross at Velsao, Goa
Commentary of the day :           

Wednesday of the First week of Advent

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 15:29-37. 

Baldwin of Ford (?-c.1190), Cistercian abbot 
The Sacrament of the altar, PL 204, 690 

The bread of eternal life

« Jesus said : I am the bread of life ; whoever comes to me will never hunger and whoever believes in me will never thirst »… In this way he describes twice over the eternal repletion when nothing will be lacking any more.

However, Wisdom says : « He who eats of me will hunger still, he who drinks of me will thirst for more » (Sir 24,20). Christ, who is the Wisdom of God, is not eaten to satisfy our desire in the present moment but to make us long for that satisfaction. And the more we taste his sweetness, the more our desire for it is stimulated. That is why those who eat it hunger still until the satisfaction comes. But when their desire has been filled they will no longer have either hunger or thirst.

« Those who eat of me will hunger still. » This saying can also be understood of the world to come since in the eternal satisfaction there is as sort of hunger that comes, not from need but from happiness. There, satisfaction knows no satiety, desire knows no groaning. Christ, who is always wonderful in his beauty, is also always desirable: “he whom angels long to see” (1Pt 1,12). And so, even when possessing him, we desire him; even when holding him, we seek him, as it is written: “Earnestly seek his face” (Ps 104[105],4). Indeed, he is always sought who is loved in order to be possessed for ever. 


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