1st Sunday of Advent (A) : Wednesday 3rd December 2025

On the feast of St Francis Xavier, we are invited to reflect on the heart of Christian mission. He is considered the greatest missionary after St Paul, because he travelled to so many places in the way he did. Like St Paul, he was fired up with the great command of Jesus to go and preach the Gospel to all people. He became “all things to all people,” adapting to cultures, learning languages, and living among the people he served, all for the sake of the Gospel.

The psalm echoes the words of Jesus in the Gospel: “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News,” thus emphasising the universal call to salvation—a central theme in Xavier’s mission. His life was a response to this call, not just to believe in the Gospel, but to share it to the ends of the earth.

The commission of Jesus is not just for the Apostles, but for all who are baptised. Xavier lived this command radically. His preaching bore fruit, not only in conversions but in the witness of a life poured out in love.

Today, we are reminded that missionary zeal is not reserved for saints of the past. Each of us is called to witness to the Gospel in our own world—with courage, creativity, and the same passionate love that marked the life of St Francis Xavier.

PRAYER: St Francis Xavier, co-patron of missions, pray for us!