Song: Bishop Martyr Oscar Romero

A short video and song about the late Oscar Romero, Bishop Martyr of El Salvador. "ROMERO" is the first single from The Project's special event album,"Martyrs Prayers." All lyrics contained in this song are the transcribed prayers of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero (1917-1980). Romero was murdered in 1980 while celebrating mass in a small hospital chapel in San Salvador.

Romero: Martyrs Prayers.

Guest Homilist on Francis Xavier

Homily by Brendan Kelly, S.J., of the Australia Province of Jesuits, 

in Honour of Francis Xavier, Jesuit Missionary & Saint

on the occasion of the visit of the relic of his arm to Holy Family parish, 

Mount Druitt, 27 November 2012

I have in my hands a pair of gloves. They belonged to my father. A little over 12 years ago, my father died, and my mother asked me, when we were going through his things, if there was anything of Dad’s that I would like to keep. I indicated to her these gloves, which he often wore, especially on wintry afternoons watching the footy, or when he went to early morning mass. The hands that occupied these gloves, I experienced as forever giving and forever building.

Every morning, just after 5.00 am, Fr Ed [parish priest] and I take Sophia our parish dog for a walk through Whalan Reserve.  Here, in Emerton/Mount Druitt, as we know during winter, mornings can be very cold, and during such times, I wear my father’s gloves. Each time I put them on I’m reminded of my father. It is a moving moment. Though separated by time and death, we are nonetheless still connected.

Something similar, but on grander scale, is taking place here this evening; instead of gloves, we have an arm, the right arm of Saint Francis Xavier, Jesuit priest and missionary, who died 460 years ago; and it is through the presence of this arm that we are connected to the most widely traveled missioner in the history of our Church. For twelve years, Francis traveled around Asia, seeking to bring its peoples to know and share in God’s bountiful love. This arm was instrumental in baptizing, it is estimated, over forty thousand people! This arm - now, for us, this relic - connects us to this remarkable man tonight, and more significantly to our God, who was able to accomplish such extraordinary things in and through him.

Those of you who have been here for the veneration and prayer before the relic prior to Mass will, from the video, have Xavier’s story fresh in mind. Those of you who arrived at Mass time, can read his story on the pamphlet provided.

This evening, I’d like to share with you some images and accompanying graces from Francis’ life, which might be relevant for us as fellow travellers, as a pilgrim people on our way to God.

1. Francis was by no means in the beginning what he ended up being at the end of his life. As a young, intelligent, good looking, and accomplished sportsman, with an engaging and charming personality, he was, among his peers and teachers alike, a very popular university student in Paris. A great party-goer and night owl, he lived his life very much in the fast lane. He was ambitious, but his ambition went no further than his wanting to restore the honour and reputation of his family name, which as a boy he saw trashed.

When Ignatius of Loyola entered into his life, over time Francis’ whole outlook began to change. No doubt, Ignatius saw in Francis what he discovered to be true of himself years earlier – a very misguided, worldly young man, proud, ambitious, yet with considerable raw talent and potential. Ignatius’ presence and his persistent and patient questioning of Francis along the lines of “What if a man was to gain the whole world and lose his immortal soul?” in the end, had such an impact, that Francis’ horizons expanded to incorporate God, and he joined Ignatius and at that stage a handful of others to become “Companions in the Lord”. The group would eventually form themselves into the Society of Jesus, or as is more commonly known, the Jesuits. Their mission: to preach God’s word wherever on God’s earth, and to serve charitably wherever there was the greatest need, and especially with and among God’s poor. Francis Xavier, a changed man, took all this very much to heart.

The grace being offered here in this period from Francis’s life is that we can change, if only we allow God, often by working through others, who have our best interests at heart, to reach us. To whom, then, do we really listen? Who do we let into our interior landscape to help us find our true bearings, to help us realize our true desires and potential?

2. As a Jesuit, Francis’ prospects were promising. He was Ignatius’ first secretary, his right-hand-man. Now, the best of friends, together, they could accomplish much for the growing and expanding new order of Jesuits. But when a Jesuit, because of illness, was suddenly unable to be missioned to India, at the request of the powerful King John of Portugal, Ignatius asked Xavier to replace this Jesuit, with only twenty-four hours notice. Francis’ response was instantaneous. “Pues sus! Hemi aqui! he said. Simply: “Okay, I’m ready!” Ignatius and Francis were never to see each other again.

The grace being offered here is one of greater freedom – freedom to respond to the greater need, to trust more deeply in God’s providence and generosity. To what do I cling in my life? What do I hold on to? It might be some material possession or possessions; it might be my reputation – wanting to always be well thought of; it might be a possessive, one-sided relationship. And to what extent does such clinging and holding promote or restrict my freedom, especially in opportunities to serve God and others?

3. Here at Emerton and Mount Druitt, Francis would have been quite at home among the many and varied cultures that compose our parish. When he travelled throughout Asia, he came across many diverse cultures. He came to recognize that an important aspect of evangelisation was a preceding, patient conversation that built rapport and respect, that recognized and acknowledged the true worth and dignity of the other, no matter how foreign that other seemed. He conversed with and learned from Hindus in Goa, from Muslims in present-day Indonesia, and from Buddhists in Japan. Through such conversations, he gradually moved from a European-based Christianity, to a Christianity that was universal, permeating, and reflective of all cultures – a Christianity that reflected the more truly all-embracing face of God. It would be in Japan where this transformation in Francis most evidently would take place, and it was to influence the way Jesuit missionaries would conduct themselves to this day.

The grace here is to appreciate that God’s Spirit blows where it will, that it precedes our efforts, our formulations and procedures, and is present in and through all creation and all peoples. Do we give sufficient space and time to let the Spirit work in us and in others, revealing goodness and truth, fashioning our attitudes and dispositions, expanding our hearts? Do we really listen to others before responding to them? Do we let this happen often where we least expect it?

4. The first companions, the first Jesuits, came from different countries, even from warring nations. But they were united as “Companions and Friends in the Lord”. In Asia, half a world away from his brothers, Francis carried around his neck, in a little leather pouch, the signatures of his companions, which he had torn from their letters written to him. They forever remained close to his heart.

The grace on offer here is to remember and be grateful continually for our friends and our loved ones. And as members of this parish community, we are to extend the Lord’s friendship to one another, and to all with whom we come in contact. We are to pray for them before the Lord. Holy Family has an enviable reputation for welcoming and hospitality. Francis would have delighted in this.

5. Francis traveled with a certain restlessness as he moved from Africa to India, to Malacca, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the southern Philippines, and to Japan. In doing so, he always sought the greater good, the broader, more-lasting influence and outcome. He remained focused in God on his travels, God whom he served loyally and tenaciously through ministering in simplicity to the poor, the persecuted, the sick, the dying, those in mourning, those with responsibilities, and the defenseless. All these were the face of Jesus to him. In keeping with the theology of his time, the energy he invested in travelling so extensively in order to instruct, baptize and preach, was all geared so that those with whom he came in contact, would come to know Jesus and not be lost to this world or the one to come.

Francis, though, was not someone who simply preached and instructed in the faith. His prayer and devotions extended beyond churches and chapels into the world. He was a practical man, a doer who enacted his faith wherever and whenever he came across injustice. “Faith by itself, without works is dead,” says St James [2:17]. Francis worked tirelessly because of his faith. The persecution and subjugation of his fellow human beings, personally witnessed during his boyhood in the occupation of his country, and the changing fortunes of his family, and clearly represented in the slave trading of the time, he abhorred. If he were here today, he would equally abhor some of the injustices we are currently contending with, especially in our treatment of asylum seekers and refugees and the sexual abuse that is within our church and our society.

The grace on offer here is that we are to share our faith, with both enthusiasm and passion, tempered by wisdom; that we are not to be mere hearers of the Word, but also its doers, which means standing in solidarity with those who are outcast, with those who are victims.

6. Francis dreams of reaching and preaching in China. He only makes it to the island of Sancian off the Chinese coast. He is swindled of his last possessions by someone who promises to take him to China but fails to show up on the appointed day. Aged forty-six, he dies on the island, alone, except for one faithful lay catechist who remains with him. Francis would be more honoured and celebrated in his death than in his life – a life which can look on the face of it like failure. Yet, his missionary work opened doors for others. When he left Japan, for example, after working there for two years, he left behind about 1400 new Christians in six towns. By the end of the seventeenth century there were 300,000 Japanese Christians. One of the oldest communities, incidentally, was Nagasaki, which became the largest Christian community right through until 1945 when the city was selected as the target of the atom bomb. It is ironic as it is tragic that the Japanese Christian community was almost annihilated, not by anti-Christian forces but by Christian political leaders.  Some time later, the Jesuit Matteo Ricci would cross the threshold into China, where, like Francis before him in so many places, his person, manner and approach would be appreciated and welcomed by the Chinese.

The grace on offer here is to follow our dreams, but to know that our dreams are not always realized, and to know that a giving of one’s life, even in apparent failure, is never the last word. Jesus knew this and it is what Easter is about. Francis’ missionary zeal opened doors for others to follow after him.

From just recalling, then, tonight, a few incidents in his life we can see that God bestowed many graces on Francis Xavier – graces which are available to us as well, if our hearts are open and daring enough to receive them. These graces include: the ability to change and to grow with others’ help, to become freer, to seek and find God present in all things by attending to all things, to extend the hand of friendship to all-comers, to render a faith that does justice, and humbly to allow God a place in the unfolding of our lives.

In the final analysis, Francis Xavier is one who leads from the front, and like John the Baptist, prepares the way of the Lord, and the way for others to follow in the way of the Lord. He is God’s courageous adventurer, dreamer and visionary, who when once drawn by God draws others to share that same God, great distances and hardship notwithstanding.  We, in our day, may not be called to go off to foreign and exotic lands, but all of us are called to proclaim and witness to Christ in our lives in the spirit of Francis. As Pope Benedict said to a gathering of Jesuits a few years ago:

Nowadays the new peoples who do not know the Lord or know him badly, so as not to recognize him as the Saviour, are far away not so much from the geographical point of view as from the cultural one. The obstacles challenging the evangelisers are not so much the seas or the long distances as the frontiers that, due to a mistaken or superficial vision of God and of humankind, are raised between faith and human knowledge, faith and modern science, faith and the fight for justice.

Here, in Australia, and with our neighbours, are challenges enough to work on. May we be imbued with the energy, passion, courage and creativity of Francis Xavier to meet these challenges, so that as with him, God’s loving compassion might be known and acted upon by all.

Fr. Brendan Kelly, S.J.
novice and formation director

Blessing for the Immaculate Conception

May God, who through the childbearing of the Blessed Virgin Mary, willed in his great kindness to redeem the human race, be pleased to enrich you with his blessing. Amen.

May you know always and everywhere the protection of her, through whom you have been found worthy to receive the author of life. Amen.

May you, who have devoutly gathered on this day, carry away with you the gifts of spiritual joys and heavenly rewards. Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain forever. Amen.

Spirituality: Meditate

M E D I T A T E

Don't just do something. Sit there.

Song: Sing a Different Song (John Bell)

Sing a different song now Christmas is here,
sing a song of people knowing God's near:
The Messiah is born in the face of our scorn,
sing a different song to welcome and warn.

Shout a different shout now Christmas is here,
shout a shout of joy and genuine cheer:
Fill the earth and the sky with the news from on high,
shout a different shout that all may come by.

Love a different love now Christmas is here,
love without condition, love without fear:
With the humble and poor, with the shy and unsure,
love a different love. Let Christ be the cure!

Dance a different dance now Christmas is here,
dance a dance of war on suffering and fear:
Peace and justice are one, in the light of the sun,
Dance a different dance, God's reign has begun!

Second Sunday in Advent

December 9, 2012

Baruch 5:1-9; Psalm 126; 1 Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 3:1-6

            The shift in waiting from last Sunday is dramatic. Last week, we had a long, persevering, confident waiting as events of the end times unfolded. This week, the journey is about to begin. It is our time to prepare for our eventual return from whatever exiles us from the Lord. The prophet Baruch suggests that we must put our mourning behind us for we are going home. This type of waiting is exciting.

            In the Book of Baruch, one has to know the background of Jerusalem’s history. Babylon, the great Chaldean kingdom, burned Jerusalem to the ground around 587 B.C. and the people were brought into exile. Baruch returns to Jerusalem on the feast of Tabernacles, the most important of the three pilgrim feasts. He addresses Jerusalem as if she is a person and speaks about the return of the exiled pilgrims. Jerusalem is still in mourning and she laments for her lost people. She no longer possesses or understands the wisdom of God, but the people in Babylon have followed God’s advice in the great Wisdom literature and it is time for them to return home.

            Baruch assumes the role of Jerusalem’s comforter at a mourning ceremony and tells her to remove her mourning garment because her children are on their way home. She is to clothe herself with splendid garments. The crown placed on her head is the miter that shows the glory of the eternal name. This is Aaron’s miter upon which is written “sacred to Yahweh.” Lady Jerusalem, the city of the worship of the true God, becomes a priest. She is Aaron’s successor. She receives forever from God the symbolic titles “the peace of justice” and “the glory of God’s worship.” Jerusalem will forever be a place where peace and justice prevail because worship of the true God is conducted there. Under these circumstances, the procession of the exiled back home becomes a pilgrimage, just as in the feast of the Tabernacles. The return of the Diaspora to Jerusalem for Tabernacles begins a new age of divine favor.

Ancient Babylon has now become a code word for any powers that prevent the righteous ones from returning home. God promises to make the road home easy. People look east to see the rising sun – the presence of the abiding, creating Lord. Adversaries are vanquished. The Arabian Desert is the shortest distance home and the mountains will be leveled and the valleys filled in so that healthy and young, and old and infirm alike can make it back safely. Rains will make the desert fertile – a sign that the Feast of Tabernacles can be celebrated. The comforting cloak of justice will assure harmony, security, and prosperity that come from God’s presence.

In the Gospel, we get the good news that John the Baptist has erupted onto the scene. He recalls the words of Isaiah that Baruch espoused: “Every valley shall be filled; every mountain made low; the path has been made straight for everyone to follow. Prepare the way of the Lord.” The long-awaited time of God’s advent is coming. History has been pointing toward this special moment. Pack your bags and get ready because the journey is about to take a turn. The Baptist is no longer speaking of a return of physically exiled people; he is speaking of a return to the Lord from a spiritually and emotionally exiled people. Repentance of one’s sins is the way to return to the heart of God. This repentance is not to make one feel guilty, but is designed to let God free you from whatever separates you from receiving his love. Giving is easy; receiving is much harder. Everyone wants forgiveness and reconciliation. Receiving it is much harder. The effect of being freed relieves suffering and allows us to face the future cheerfully.

Attitude is everything. An enlightened perspective is reached and we can be hopeful and cheerful, which allows us to say “yes” to God’s many invitations. Just as Baruch tells Jerusalem to put away her mourning cloak, we have to lift up our spirits in the face of our suffering so we can examine it differently. Being cheerful is contagious. We are attracted to genuine people who smile and make positive statements; we avoid those who frown, criticize, complain, and say “no” all the time. Being realistically happy is both a life-choice and a daily choice, and good things occur to those who keep themselves open to happiness. Let’s follow the advice of Baruch so we can hear God’s words spoken through the Baptist. Repent, be liberated, and you will live in the happiness God intends for you. God cherishes you and yearns for your return to his gentle, compassionate, warm heart. Let yourself go!

In Philippians, St. Paul prays tenderly for his community. His warmth overflows through his words. He says, “How I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.” He continues, “And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more.” Wow! What a prayer. This is what God wants for us – to become more and more loving so that we are able to discern his ways. Keep your senses heightened. Notice the blessed events around you. Prepare the way of the Lord. God is calling you to take notice of what he is doing. Stay open and positive and say “yes” to his gentle invitations – because they contain life. God will make the road easier for you and you will see the salvation God promises. God is doing this for you. You will like this kind of waiting. You will be glad.

Themes for this Week’s Masses

First Reading: Isaiah explains that on the holy road that leads the redeemed back to Zion, all obstacles will be removed to assure safe passage. God has cleared the way for everyone to return in haste. God comforts his people for their sins have been forgiven. Along the way home, the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. Zechariah reminds us that the Lord is coming to dwell among his people and he will become known to them for the Lord stirs forth from his holy dwelling. Through all the hunger and drought the people face, the God of Israel will not forsake them. The Lord will take care of their needs and shepherd them with great care. The Lord will also teach them what is for their own good. He is like a schoolteacher who cares for the understanding of his students. Sirach tells us about the days of Elijah, whose words were as a flaming furnace. Great power was with Elijah as he spoke on behalf of God. The church evokes Elijah’s memory as it prepares for the arrival onto the scene of the great prophet, John the Baptist.

Gospel: At the beginning of his public ministry in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus was teaching people from many districts near and far. The power of the Lord was with him for healing. Some friends brought forward a paralyzed man on a stretcher and Jesus forgave his sins. The scribes and Pharisees took issue with this and Jesus decided to showcase God’s power. He told the man to rise, take up his mat, and go home. To reveal the mind of God Jesus asked his disciples if a man with 100 sheep notices that one is missing, would the man leave the sheep in search of the lost one? Jesus says that God is always seeking out the lost. ~ On the feast of Our Lady of Guadeloupe, the annunciation scene is read. An alternative reading is Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. ~ The church is setting the stage for John the Baptist. Jesus tells the crowd that John the Baptist is the greatest prophet born of a woman, but he is the least in the kingdom of God. In fact, Jesus tells them that John is Elijah incarnate. In Matthew, as Jesus experiences frustration from the crowd, he points out how fickle they are. After the transfiguration, Jesus addresses the notion that Elijah must appear again before the Messiah comes. He confirms it and then adds that Elijah has already come, but they did not recognize him in the form of John the Baptist.

Saints of the Week

December 9: Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1474-1548) was a poor, simple, indigenous man who was visited by Mary in 1531. She instructed him to build a church at Guadalupe near Mexico City. During another visit, she told him to present flowers to the bishop. When he did, the flowers fell from his cape to reveal an image of Mary that is still revered today.

December 12: The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated to remember the four apparitions to Juan Diego in 1531 near Mexico City shortly after the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs. Mary appeared as a native Mexican princess and her image is imprinted on a cloak that was presented to the bishop.

December 13: Lucy, martyr (d. 304), was born into a noble Sicilian family and killed during the Diocletian persecution. In the Middle Ages, people with eye trouble invoked her aid because her name means "light." Scandinavia today still honors Lucy in a great festival of light on this day.

December 14: John of the Cross, priest and doctor (1542-1591), was a Carmelite who reformed his order with the help of Teresa of Avila. They created the Discalced (without shoes) Carmelite Order that offered a stricter interpretation of their rules. John was opposed by his community and placed in prison for a year. He wrote the classics, "Ascent of Mount Carmel," "Dark Night of the Soul," and "Living Flame of Love."

This Week in Jesuit History

·      Dec. 9, 1741: At Paris, Fr. Charles Poree died. He was a famous master of rhetoric. Nineteen of his pupils were admitted into the French Academy, including Voltaire, who, in spite of his impiety, always felt an affectionate regard for his old master.

·      Dec 10, 1548. The general of the Dominicans wrote in defense of the Society of Jesus upon seeing it attacked in Spain by Melchior Cano and others.

·      Dec 11, 1686. At Rome, Fr. Charles de Noyelle, a Belgian, died as the 12th general of the Society.

·      Dec 12, 1661. In the College of Clermont, Paris, Fr. James Caret publicly defended the doctrine of papal infallibility, causing great excitement among the Gallicans and Jansenists.

·      Dec 13, 1545. The opening of the Council of Trent to which Frs. Laynez and Salmeron were sent as papal theologians and Fr. Claude LeJay as theologian of Cardinal Otho Truchses.

·      Dec 14, 1979. The death of Riccardo Lombardi, founder of the Better World Movement.

·      Dec 15, 1631. At Naples, during an earthquake and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the Jesuits worked to help all classes of people.

·      Dec 16, 1544. Francis Xavier entered Cochin.

Prayer: Madeleine Delbrel, "The Dance of Obedience"

Lord, come ask us to dance.
We're ready to dance this errand for you,
These accounts to do, this dinner to prepare, this vigil to keep
When we would prefer to sleep.
We're ready to dance for you the dance of work,
The dance of heat, and later the dance of cold.
If certain melodies are often played in the minor key, we won't tell you
That they're sad;
If others leave us a little breathless, we won't tell you
That they knock the wind out of us.
And if other people bump into us, we'll take it with a good laugh,
Knowing well that that's the sort of thing that happens when you're dancing.

Prayer: Psalm 139

Father, you know me better than I could ever know myself.
You know in all truth what I have been, what I am, what I will become.
You know me when I am loving and when I am selfish.
You know when I succeed and when I fail.
You know everything about me.
And you, Father, you love me more than I know.
You don't hold it against me that I fail, or am discouraged.
You also try to show me that I should not hold it against myself, because my doing so I will fail to love more.
You are forgiving and loving.
It is beyond my understanding.
I read your word and am inspired, but them immediately feels its poverty in my own life.
But, Father, if I do try to escape you, where can I go?
Deep down I never want to escape you, but at times I try.
Help me to realize that at these times you will support me, you will send the light needed, you will send your consolation through another, you will send your strength and courage.
God, my Father, know my thoughts.
Guide me to you.
You know what I desire, even though I do not always move towards my goal.

Spirituality: Francis Xavier and the Crab

Francis Xavier visited Malacca four times in the 16th Century. On one of his visits, lost his crucifix at sea when he calmed the water during a heavy storm.

Francis was travelling from one island to the next in the natives' boats and on a particular day a big storm developed that nearly capsized his boat. He held onto his crucifix and said a prayer. Then he dipped the crucifix into the rough sea, which immediately calmed down the storm winds. Unfortunately, his crucifix fell to the bottom of the sea. No one perished in the storm.

The next day, he was surprised to see a crab crawling up the beach holding his crucifix in its claws. With great joy he picked up the crucifix and blessed the crab, and the crab disappeared in the calm sea. On the shell of this species of crab, there is a distinct sign of the cross. They are still found in the Straits of Malacca today. Portuguese fisherman believe they are holy and will not eat them.

A Portuguese gunner, Fausta Rodrigues, was an eye-witness to this incident and wrote it down in his diary, which is on display in the National Museum of Lisbon. In the Chapel of the Royal Place, Madrid, Spain, the crucifix with the scratching of the crab's claws is on display.

St Francis Xavier died off the coast of China and his body was buried in Malacca for six months before going on to its final resting place in Goa, India. In 1614, the Pope requested the right arm of Saint to be severed from his corpse and sent to Rome. Blood was said to have gushed out of the arm even though he had been dead for 62 years. Immediately after Fr Francis Xavier was canonized a Saint in 1622 the remains of the right arm in Rome was merely a skeleton, but the whole body in Goa remains incorruptible minus the right arm.

In 1952 the Bishop of Macau decided to put up a statue in front of the St Paul's Church. A marble statue was ordered from Italy and was sculptured by the famous Italian sculpture, G. Toni and was ready for the fourth centenary celebrations on the 22 March 1953. One quiet night a huge tree fell burying the statue. On clearing the branches, the statue was found to be intact except for the right arm which had broken off. This is yet another miracle of St. Francis Xavier to show that his incorruptible body in Goa today is without the right hand. Until today visitor to St Paul's hill can still witness this phenomenon with the statue standing without the right hand.

Prayer: A Korean Prayer "The Truth"

From the cowardice that dare not face the truth,
From the laziness that is contented with half the truth,
From the arrogance that thinks it knows all the truth,
Good Lord, deliver us.

To the truth that makes us free,
To the truth that helps us to see,
To the truth that makes its home in Thee,
Good Lord, deliver us.