FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS XAVIER
First Reading - 1 Corinthians 9:16-19,22-23
Gospel - Mark 16:15-20
St. Francis Xavier is a saint who is always remembered for his zeal for the souls. He wanted to win as many as souls for Christ. He did this till the end of his life. Such dedication for the proclamation of the good news and commitment to the gospel had been the driving force for his tireless work. What summarizes his life is the mission injunction of Christ that is 'go to the whole world and proclaim the gospel and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'. This mission injunction sunk into his heart. The readings of the day invite us to be aglow with passion for the gospel and be saturated by it to reach it to all people for their salvation.
The first reading can be divided into two halves. The first part speaks about the gospel-life of Paul. Paul admits that gospel is the sum of his life and is compulsive and driving. The second part of it is about the mission of paul that he undertook for the sake of the gospel. He claims that he has made all things to all to win people for the gospel. It means he has not imposed the life of Christ but made Christ available and accessible to all people.
In the gospel, Jesus sends his disciples to preach the gospel to all creation that all may be saved. The gospel or the good news is about Christ that the salvation is offered to all in and through him, thus acceptance of the gospel will bring salvation to them.
My dear friends, the gospel is the sum total of our Christian life. We belong to the gospel family, where Christ is our salvation. The readings invite us to accept two things: firstly, to believe in the good news that we are saved in Christ through our baptism. Secondly, to become witnesses of the gift of salvation to others. It's not by force but by making Christ available to them. How can we make Christ available to them? It's by seeing our life that people come to know that followers of Christ live their lives according to the gospel. It's by our actions and behaviour towards one another we make Christ available to all. It's by our life of forgiveness, compassion and other gospel virtues we make Christ available to all. May this zeal for the gospel to make Christ present always burn in our hearts.
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