Dec 3 – S Francis Xavier

It’s the Feast of St. Francis Xavier, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: “The Resurrection of the Body”, today’s news from the Church: “IFOP Examines the Morale of French Priests”, a preview of the Sermon: “Advent Is a Season of Preparation”, and today’s thought from the Archbishop.

Have feedback or questions about the DD or our other shows? [e-mail] Sources Used Today:

• “The Resurrection of the Body” – From Advent to Epiphany
  • https://angeluspress.org/products/from-advent-to-epiphany
  
  
• “IFOP Examines the Morale of French Priests” (FSSPX.news)
  • https://fsspx.news/en/news/ifop-examines-morale-french-priests-55686
  
  
• “Advent Is a Season of Preparation” (SSPX Sermons)
  • SSPX YouTube: Sermons Playlist
  • Listen & Subscribe: SSPX Sermons Podcast
  
  
• The Spiritual Life – Archbishop Lefebvre (Angelus Press)
  • https://angeluspress.org/products/spiritual-life-archbishop
  
  

Saint Francis Xavier is one of the most extraordinary missionaries in the history of the Church, a man whose life reads like an unbroken act of availability to God. Born in 1506 into a noble Basque family, he studied at the University of Paris where he met Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius slowly drew Francis from dreams of academic success toward the deeper adventure of serving Christ. When Francis made the Spiritual Exercises, he emerged with a heart ready to go anywhere. He became one of the first companions of the Society of Jesus, ordained in 1537, and soon found himself appointed as papal ambassador to the Far East. It was a mission he had not sought, yet he embraced it with astonishing generosity.

From 1541 onward, Francis traveled across oceans and cultures with tireless zeal. He preached in India, where he lived among the poorest communities and revived Christian life in places long neglected. He crossed to the Malay Archipelago, evangelizing fishermen, pearl divers, and entire villages one encounter at a time. In Japan, he learned enough of the language to teach the faith clearly and won converts through patience and friendship rather than displays of authority. Throughout his journeys he carried almost nothing but his breviary, a catechism, and the joy that made people trust him instantly. Letters from this period reveal a man both heroic and deeply human, often exhausted and lonely but convinced that souls were worth every sacrifice.