Posted on 04/07/2006 8:54:58 AM PDT by Salvation
Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Reading I
Jer 20:10-13
I hear the whisperings of many:
“Terror on every side!
Denounce! let us denounce him!”
All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.
“Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,
and take our vengeance on him.”
But the LORD is with me, like a mighty champion:
my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.
In their failure they will be put to utter shame,
to lasting, unforgettable confusion.
O LORD of hosts, you who test the just,
who probe mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause.
Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,
For he has rescued the life of the poor
from the power of the wicked!
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7
R. (see 7) In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
The breakers of death surged round about me,
the destroying floods overwhelmed me;
The cords of the nether world enmeshed me,
the snares of death overtook me.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
In my distress I called upon the LORD
and cried out to my God;
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
R. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and he heard my voice.
Gospel
Jn 10:31-42
The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?”
The Jews answered him,
“We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy.
You, a man, are making yourself God.”
Jesus answered them,
“Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’?
If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came,
and Scripture cannot be set aside,
can you say that the one
whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world
blasphemes because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
Then they tried again to arrest him;
but he escaped from their power.
He went back across the Jordan
to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained.
Many came to him and said,
“John performed no sign,
but everything John said about this man was true.”
And many there began to believe in him.
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Farewell to Alleluia and Gloria
During the penitential seasons of the Church, the Gloria and the Alleluia are not said or sung. The Gloria is sung only at the Mass on Holy Thursday, usually with great ceremony, organ and sometimes trumpets, and often with the ringing of bells. After the singing of the Gloria, musical instruments are to be silent until the Alleluia at the Easter Vigil. (Catholic families might imitate this solemn silence by not playing instrumental music in their homes at this time.)
In the Middle Ages and throughout the 16th century, the "burying" of the Alleluia was a solemn ritual on Septuagesima Sunday. A procession of children carrying a wooden plaque bearing the word "Alleluia" laid it at the feet of the statue of the Blessed Virgin, covering it with a purple cloth. It remained there until Easter at the Gospel procession, when the plaque was carried as the priest intoned the three Alleluias before the Easter Gospel. In Paris, a straw figure inscribed with the word was carried out of the choir at the end of the service and burned in the church yard.
Although the practice of literally removing the Alleluia from the Church may have disappeared, even today in some parish celebrations of the Easter Vigil an Alleluia card is carried in procession and placed in front of the altar during the singing of the first Alleluias before the Gospel for Easter.
The hymn Alleluia, Song of Gladness and the one that follows date from the early 9th and 10th centuries; both refer to the farewell to the Alleluia in the liturgy.
The Holy Season of Lent -- Fast and Abstinence
The Holy Season of Lent -- The Stations of the Cross
Mardi Gras' Catholic Roots [Shrove Tuesday]
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI FOR LENT 2006
Lent a Time for Renewal, Says Benedict XVI
Lent: A Time to Fast From Media and Criticism Says President of Pontifical Liturgical Institute
From: Jeremiah 20:13-20
Jeremiah's Fifth "Confession" (Continuation)
From: John 10:31-42
Jesus and the Father Are One (Continuation)
Following Bush's speech, a beaming Austin Ruse called Bush " the second Catholic president ... or the first." A smattering of discontent in response, but mostly the crowd seemed to enjoy the remark.
What good news. Thanks for the update!
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 34 (35) |
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| The Lord, a saviour in time of persecution |
| Judge, Lord, those who are judging me: attack those who are attacking me. Take up your shield and come out to defend me. Brandish your spear and hold back my pursuers. Say to my soul, “I am your deliverance”. Let them be thrown into confusion, those who are after my life. Let them be weakened and put to flight, those who plan harm to me. Let them be like chaff blowing in the wind, when the angel of the Lord scatters them. Let their paths be dark and slippery, when the angel of the Lord harries them. For it was without cause that they spread out their nets to ensnare me, without cause that they dug a pit to take my life. Let death come upon them suddenly, may they be entangled in their own nets. But my soul will exult in the Lord and rejoice in his aid. My bones themselves will say “Lord, who is your equal?” You snatch the poor man from the hand of the strong, the needy and weak from those who would destroy them. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Psalm 34 (35) |
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| Lying witnesses rose up against me; they asked me questions I could not answer. They paid me back evil for the good I did, my soul is desolation. Yet I – when they were ill, I put on sackcloth, I mortified my soul with fasting, I prayed for them from the depths of my heart. I walked in sadness as for a close friend, for a brother; I was bowed down with grief as if mourning my own mother. But they – when I was unsteady, they rejoiced and gathered together. They gathered and beat me: I did not know why. They were tearing me to pieces, there was no end to it: they teased me, heaped derision on me, they ground their teeth at me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Psalm 34 (35) |
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| Lord, how long will you wait? Rescue my life from their attacks, my only life from the lions. I will proclaim you in the great assembly, in the throng of people I will praise you. Let not my lying enemies triumph over me, those who hate me for no reason, who conspire against me by secret signs, who do not speak of peace, who plan crimes against the innocent, who cry out slanders against me, saying “Yes! Yes! We saw it ourselves!” You see them, Lord, do not stay silent: Lord, do not leave me. Rise up and keep watch at my trial: my God and my Lord, watch over my case. Judge me according to your justice, Lord: my God, let them not rejoice over me! Let them not think to themselves, “Yes! We have what we wanted!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up”. But let those who support my cause rejoice, let them say always “How great is the Lord, who takes care of his servant’s welfare”. And my tongue too will ponder your justice, and praise you all day long. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Reading | Hebrews 7:11 - 28 © |
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| If perfection had been reached through the levitical priesthood because the Law given to the nation rests on it, why was it still necessary for a new priesthood to arise, one of the same order as Melchizedek not counted as being ‘of the same order as’ Aaron? But any change in the priesthood must mean a change in the Law as well. So our Lord, of whom these things were said, belonged to a different tribe, the members of which have never done service at the altar; everyone knows he came from Judah, a tribe which Moses did not even mention when dealing with priests. This becomes even more clearly evident when there appears a second Melchizedek, who is a priest not by virtue of a law about physical descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it was about him that the prophecy was made: You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever. The earlier commandment is thus abolished, because it was neither effective nor useful, since the Law could not make anyone perfect; but now this commandment is replaced by something better – the hope that brings us nearer to God. What is more, this was not done without the taking of an oath. The others, indeed, were made priests without any oath; but he with an oath sworn by the one who declared to him: The Lord has sworn an oath which he will never retract: you are a priest, and for ever. And it follows that it is a greater covenant for which Jesus has become our guarantee. Then there used to be a great number of those other priests, because death put an end to each one of them; but this one, because he remains for ever, can never lose his priesthood. It follows, then, that his power to save is utterly certain, since he is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him. To suit us, the ideal high priest would have to be holy, innocent and uncontaminated, beyond the influence of sinners, and raised up above the heavens; one who would not need to offer sacrifices every day, as the other high priests do for their own sins and then for those of the people, because he has done this once and for all by offering himself. The Law appoints high priests who are men subject to weakness; but the promise on oath, which came after the Law, appointed the Son who is made perfect for ever. |
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| Reading | From a treatise on faith addressed to Peter by Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe, bishop |
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| Christ offered himself for us | |
| The sacrifices of animal victims which our forefathers were commanded to offer to God by the holy Trinity itself, the one God of the old and the new testaments, foreshadowed the most acceptable gift of all. This was the offering which in his compassion the only Son of God would make of himself in his human nature for our sake. The Apostle teaches that Christ offered himself for us to God as a fragrant offering and sacrifice. He is the true God and the true high priest who for our sake entered once for all into the holy of holies, taking with him not the blood of bulls and goats but his own blood. This was foreshadowed by the high priest of old when each year he took blood and entered the holy of holiest Christ is therefore the one who in himself alone embodied all that he knew to be necessary to achieve our redemption. He is at once priest and sacrifice, God and temple. He is the priest through whom we have been reconciled, the sacrifice by which we have been reconciled, the temple in which we have been reconciled, the God with whom we have been reconciled. He alone is priest, sacrifice and temple because he is all these things as God in the form of a servant; but he is not alone as God, for he is this with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the form of God. Hold fast to this and never doubt it: the only-begotten Son, God the Word, becoming man offered himself for us to God as a fragrant offering and sacrifice. In the time of the old testament, patriarchs, prophets and priests sacrificed animals in his honour, and in honour of the Father and the Holy Spirit as well. Now in the time of the new testament the holy catholic Church throughout the world never ceases to offer the sacrifice of bread and wine, in faith and love, to him and to the Father and the Holy Spirit, with whom he shares one godhead. Those animal sacrifices foreshadowed the flesh of Christ which he would offer for our sins, though himself without sin, and the blood which he would pour out for the forgiveness of our sins. In this sacrifice there is thanksgiving for, and commemoration of, the flesh of Christ that he offered for us, and the blood that the same God poured out for us. On this Saint Paul says in the Acts of the Apostles: Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock, in which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as bishops to rule the Church of God, which he won for himself by his blood. Those sacrifices of old pointed in sign to what was to be given to us. In this sacrifice we see plainly what has already been given to us. Those sacrifices foretold the death of the Son of God for sinners. In this sacrifice he is proclaimed as already slain for sinners, as the Apostle testifies: Christ died for the wicked at a time when we were still powerless, and when we were enemies we were reconciled with God through the death of his Son. |
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| A concluding prayer may follow here. |
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April 7, 2006
St. John Baptist de la Salle
(1651-1719)
Complete dedication to what he saw as God's will for him dominated the life of John Baptist de la Salle. In 1950, Pope Pius XII named him patron of schoolteachers for his efforts in upgrading school instruction. As a young seventeenth-century Frenchman, John had everything going for him: scholarly bent, good looks, noble family background, money, refined upbringing. At the early age of 11, he received the tonsure and started preparation for the priesthood, to which he was ordained at 27. He seemed assured then of a life of dignified ease and a high position in the Church. But God had other plans for John, which were gradually revealed to him in the next several years. During a chance meeting with M. Nyel of Raven, he became interested in the creation of schools for poor boys in Raven, where he was stationed. Though the work was extremely distasteful to him at first, he became more involved in working with the deprived youths. Once convinced that this was his divinely appointed mission, John threw himself wholeheartedly into the work, left home and family, abandoned his position as canon at Rheims, gave away his fortune and reduced himself to the level of the poor to whom he devoted his entire life. The remainder of his life was closely entwined with the community of religious men he founded, the Brothers of the Christian School (Christian Brothers, or De La Salle Brothers). This community grew rapidly and was successful in educating boys of poor families using methods designed by John, preparing teachers in the first training college for teachers and also setting up homes and schools for young delinquents of wealthy families. The motivating element in all these endeavors was the desire to become a good Christian. Yet even in his success, John did not escape experiencing many trials: heartrending disappointment and defections among his disciples, bitter opposition from the secular schoolmasters who resented his new and fruitful methods and persistent opposition from the Jansenists of his time, whose heretical doctrines John resisted vehemently all his life. Afflicted with asthma and rheumatism in his last years, he died on Good Friday at 68 and was canonized in 1900. Quote:
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| Friday, April 7, 2006 St. John Baptist de la Salle, Priest (Commemoration) |
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Recipes:
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April 07, 2006    Optional Memorial of St. John the Baptist de la Salle St. John Baptist de La Salle was born in Rheims, France. He was known as the Father of Modern Pedagogy. He opened free schools for poor children, introducing new teaching methods. He organized the congregation called the Brothers of the Christian Schools, which made great contributions to popular education.
St. John Baptist de la Salle Generations of schoolboys have been taught by the Christian Brothers, and their founder, St. John Baptist de la Salle, is familiar in their prayers and devotions. "Brothers Boys" are scattered all over the world and all of them have fond memories of their "De la Salle" days.
Seeing a unique opportunity for good, Canon de la Salle resigned his canonry, gave his inheritance to the poor, and began to organize his teachers into a religious congregation. Soon, boys from his schools began to ask for admission to the Brothers, and the founder set up a juniorate to prepare them for their life as religious teachers. At the request of many pastors, he also set up a training school for teachers, first at Rheims, then at Paris, and finally at St.-Denis. Realizing that he was breaking entirely new ground in the education of the young, John Baptist de la Salle wrote books on his system of education, opened schools for tradesmen, and even founded a school for the nobility, at the request of King James of England. The congregation had a tumultuous history, and the setbacks that the founder had to face were many; but the work was begun, and he guided it with rare wisdom. In Lent of 1719, he grew weak, met with a serious accident, and died on Good Friday. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1900, and Pope Pius XII proclaimed him patron of schoolteachers. Excerpted from The One Year Book of Saints, Rev. Clifford Stevens Patron: Educators; school principals; teachers. Things to Do:
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O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 50 (51) |
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| God, have mercy on me |
| Take pity on me, Lord, in your mercy; in your abundance of mercy wipe out my guilt. Wash me ever more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. For I know how guilty I am: my sin is always before me. Against you, you alone have I sinned, and I have done evil in your sight. Know this, so that you may give just sentence and an unbiased judgement. See, I was conceived in guilt, in sin my mother conceived me; but you love truth in the heart, and deep within me you have shown me your wisdom. You will sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be made clean; you will wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. You will make me hear the sound of joy and gladness; the bones you have crushed will rejoice. Turn your face away from my sins and wipe out all my transgressions; create a pure heart in me, God, put a steadfast spirit into me. Do not send me away from your presence, or withdraw your holy spirit from me; give me again the joy of your salvation, and be ready to strengthen me with your spirit. I will teach the unjust your ways, and the impious will return to you. Free me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, God my saviour, and my voice will glory in your justice. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will proclaim your praise; for you do not delight in sacrifices: if I offered you a burnt offering, it would not please you. The true sacrifice is a broken spirit: a contrite and humble heart, O God, you will not refuse. Be pleased, Lord, to look kindly on Sion, so that the walls of Jerusalem can be rebuilt, Then indeed you will accept the proper sacrifices, gifts and burnt offerings; then indeed will bullocks be laid upon your altar. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Canticle | Isaiah 45 |
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| All peoples, turn to the Lord | |
| In truth you are a hidden God, the God and Saviour of Israel. They were dismayed and ashamed, all the makers of idols, all of them fled in dismay. Israel has been saved by the Lord, saved for ever; you will not be dismayed or ashamed, to the end of time. For thus says the Lord, the God who made the heavens, who made the earth, shaped it, set it firm – he did not make it to be empty, but to be full of life – “I am the Lord, there is no other. “I have not spoken secretly, in some dark corner of the earth. I have not said to the children of Jacob, ‘seek me in vain’. I am the Lord who speaks justice, who proclaims uprightness. “Gather together, come, approach me all of you who have been rescued from the Gentiles. They were ignorant, who raised up wooden idols and begged favours of a god without power. Announce it – come, ponder it together – who was saying this from the beginning, who foretold this from the start? Am I not the Lord? Is there any other God but me? Do you seek a just God who will save you? There is no other. “Turn to me and you will be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, there is no other. “I have sworn by my own being, I have decreed a judgement that will not be revoked; for every knee will bend to me, every tongue swear by my name.” “Only in the Lord,” they will say, “are there justice and strength!” All who resisted him will come to him, and be dismayed; but in the Lord all descendants of Israel will receive justice and glory. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
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| Psalm 99 (100) |
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| Enter the Temple with joy |
| Rejoice in the Lord, all the earth. Exult in his presence and serve him with joy. Know that the Lord is God. He made us and we are his – his people, the sheep of his flock. Cry out his praises as you enter his gates, fill his courtyards with songs. Proclaim him and bless his name; for the Lord is our delight. His mercy lasts for ever, his faithfulness through all the ages. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| A short Bible reading and responsory may follow here. |
| Canticle | Benedictus |
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| The Messiah and his forerunner | |
| Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers, to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father, that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death; to lead our feet in the path of peace. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
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| Some short prayers may follow here, to offer up the day's work to God. |
| Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. |
| A concluding prayer may follow here. |
| May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life. |
| A M E N |
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Walking the Walk Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent John 10:31-42 Introductory Prayer: Father, we are drawing close to Holy Week –– when your Son gave himself up for our salvation. Help me to pray with fervor and intensity, so that my soul can be better prepared to relive the greatest mysteries of your love. Petition: Lord, grant that the words of my faith will be backed up with the action of my life. 1. Walking the Walk. In this passage, Jesus is again immersed in controversy. Listen to the serenity and confidence in his words. His only goal is the salvation of the souls that, in this moment, are harassing him. He simply points to his works, because, if Jesus did anything, it was to “walk the walk”! “If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me,” he says. Among these works, miracles were a commonplace: feeding multitudes, miraculous healings, raising the dead. But all that Jesus did could be summarized in one word: “love.” God is love. Jesus is love. Why was it so hard to understand that? 2. What More Do We Need? Jesus’ opponents didn’t believe in him, but we do. If Jesus’ works prove that he is the Son of God, then our works should prove that we believe in him and that we are the adopted children of God. As beautiful as the story of Jesus is, frequently the greatest obstacle to others’ belief is Christians themselves. God is love. Jesus is love. WE TOO MUST LOVE! 3. John Got It Right. “Everything that John said about this man [Jesus] was true.” Why did John get it right? Precisely because he realized his place. As John said to his disciples, who were disconcerted at Jesus’ growing popularity at the expense of their master, “This joy of mine has been made complete. He must increase; I must decrease” (John 3:29-30). When we let go of our ego and undergo our own spiritual Copernican revolution, we are no longer the center of our own little world. Instead, Christ is in the center. And when he is, we are able to believe in him with not just our words but our lives; we are able to walk the walk. Dialogue with Christ: Lord Jesus, your life was a continuous witness to your Father. Your works showed your disciples who you are. Help me to be coherent as well. Don’t allow there to be any gap between my words and my works so that my life will lead others to you. Resolution: I will do a special act of charity for someone who has given me a difficult time. |
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Jer 20:10-13 / Jn 10:31-42 For too many of us too often, conversation is a game whose only goal is winning. It's a deadly game, and both truth and love are its victims. How clearly we can see that in today's gospel. Jesus wanted to give His listeners life, but all His listeners wanted was to win an argument. It was a short-sighted, fear-driven choice to be sure, and it left them empty-handed in the end. Jesus is making the same offer to us now. "Come with Me," He says, and I'll show you the way to a life that's not only full and rich but everlasting as well. Just walk with Me, listen to Me, watch what I do, and then you do the same. It will take some close listening and some re-thinking of old habits, but "I'll help you," says Jesus. What a great offer Jesus is making to all of us: To be our mentors as we try to grow up and grow whole. But our selective listening, our hearing only what we want to hear or expect to hear, can frustrate even Jesus' best efforts. If the re-thinking that we're supposed to be doing in Lent is to have any value, our listening skills have to improve and our hearts have to become much more open, and much less fearful. Trust the Lord and take the risk of listening to everything He has to tell you. After all, He knows it all. Wouldn't you be foolish not to listen? |
Dear Freepers in Christ,
Today is a Red Letter Day for all Catholics of Portuguese Descent from Goa, India as well as all Catholics in South Asia and South-East Asia specially those who consider themselves to be "Spiritual Sons and Daughters of Saint Francis Xavier" -- Apostle of the East.
Today, the 7th of April is the 500th Birth Anniversary of Saint Francis Xavier who was born on this day in 1506.
This is an interesting article written by an American Catholic Lady who lives in Hyderabad, South India and who has seen the Sacred Body of Saint Francis Xavier which is kept in a casket at the Cathedral of Bom Jesus in Old Goa.
This is a Link to the Web Site of the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa.
http://www.basilicaofbomjesu.com
http://chronicleofameanderingtraveller.blogspot.com/2006/01/st-francis-xavier-history-of-his.html
St Francis Xavier: History of His Incorrupt Body
Written on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the birth of St Francis Xavier, April 7, 2006.
I visited the shrine of Bom Jesus Basilica (built in 1605) in Goa in March 2002. I was fascinated by the nearly five-hundred-year-old “mostly” incorrupt body of the great Portuguese Jesuit Saint Francis Xavier. In his life, Father Francis converted thousands to the Christian faith and performed many miracles, including raising a boy from the dead; and many more conversions and miraculous events are attributed to him after his death. But the story of what happened to his body after his death is amongst the most sensational, and certainly most documented miracles.
The length of time which God preserved his body incorrupt “as fresh as a living man” after his death (for the first two or three hundred years, he was very ‘fresh”) certainly attests to the incredible sanctity this follower of Christ possessed. Today, his holy remains look a bit like a well preserved mummy. From looking at the photographs of pictures I purchased from the gift shop at the Basilica, I would say it is rather dry and light-brownish looking, yet the details of the ears and eyelids and nose and lips and wrinkles in the skin on the cheeks are incredible considering it was never preserved in any way, not even air conditioned or hermetically sealed to keep out the effects of the caustic Indian weather of intense heat and humidity. It should be noted that the Basilica doors and windows are kept open most of the day, allowing heat and humidity in freely, and without any type of air conditioning, as is the norm for all churches and most buildings and houses. The body has always been subject to these conditions, even to this day, as it lays in an ordinary glass case, its removable lid held in place by screws.
Since there does not seem to be any detailed information on the Internet regarding the history of St Francis Xavier’s relics, I have compiled a chronology of events from the time of his death, including the findings of examinations and dates and miracles associated with the expositions of the holy body. My source is entirely quoted and paraphrased from the book St Francis Xavier and His Shrine By P Rayanna, S.J., available at his shrine, Bom Jesus Basilica in Goa. It is the third edition, printed in 1998, with a Imprimatur from 1982.
“The Incorrupt Body of St Francis Xavier suffered not only many indignities but also many violences from the thoughtless friends as well as admiring devotees through all the vicissitudes it has known during these four [now more than 4 ½] centuries. We already know how the servant who was sent to exhume the body from the desolate coast of Sancian cut off a piece of flesh, a finger’s length from the left knee.” [This gushed forth blood as if it had been cut from a living body.]
Dec 3, 1552—the Saint died at the age of 46 years, seven months and twenty six days, of which he had spent 10 years and 7 months minus 4 days in Asia. He was in the islands off the coast of China where he wished to enter and spread the Gospel, when he fell ill with a fever which lasted 13 days. He finally succumbed in the night between Dec 2 and Dec 3, praying quietly, invoking the Holy Trinity.
The next day his body was given a lowly burial of the poor, on the beach of Sancian off the coast of China. Only four persons were present at the grave: Antonio the Chinaman, two servants to dig the grave, and a fellow Portuguese, Francisco Sanches. They had decided to pack the body with lime “as it would consume the flesh and leave only the bare bones” in the event it would be decided to transport the remains back to Goa.
Feb 17, 1553—the body was exhumed to see if it was fit for transport to Malacca and then to Goa. They were amazed to find the body without any sign of decay or corruption. A piece of flesh was cut from above the left knee, from which it gushed blood as if from a living person. They took the body in an open coffin and filled it with lime, hoping the open sea would help the lime do its work decomposing the flesh quicker.
March 22, 1553—the body reached Malacca where there was a Jesuit mission where Xavier often preached and taught. They had a Mass for the dead for him there. When they removed his body from the lime in order to place him in a grave which had been hollowed out of rock near the high altar, “they found the body as fresh as someone who had died but yesterday.” Without even removing the lime which had stuck to the body and clothes, the servants had placed the body without a coffin as was the custom of the place, with nothing but a handkerchief thrown over the face. As the grave was found to be too short, they pressed the head over the breast, thus breaking the neck. This position of the head has remained ever since. They “then filled the grave with earth and thumped it down with heavy weights, thus inflicting further injuries to the body.”
August 5, 1553—Fr Juan de Beira, successor Francis in the Molucca missions could not leave the Malaccas without seeing the remains of his former superior and model. He and Diogo Pereira, in the dead of night, had the grave opened and the body taken out. To their great astonishment the body was still fresh, showing no signs of corruption, though the burial had left its marks on the body: the nose was crushed, there were bruises on the face and a sharp stone had made a wound on the left side. Finally it dawned on these guys “such a life like body should not again be consigned to a grave.” They secretly removed it, closing the grave up behind them. They laid the body in a new coffin and clothed it in the rich linen that Francis Xavier had meant to bring as presents to the Emperor of China. Thus he lay in secret until it was placed on board a ship to Goa, Dec 11, 1553.
March 16, 1553—the holy body of Francis Xavier reached Goa. It was met with frenzied jubilation from the people. There were reports of the odor of sanctity which accompanied the body and an inspired sense of prayer and devotion among the people. The next day a doctor examined the body and reported that it was like a fresh body.
June 1553-- The Viceroy sent a physician who examined the body. He was surprised to find a body which was dead for a year and a half and buried for a year to be in such a fresh state. He verified there had been no embalming and that the organs were all in their natural position. He “observed a wound in the left side near the heart and asked two of the Society who were with him to put their fingers into it. When they withdrew them, they were covered with blood which smelled absolutely untainted.”
One of the Jesuits who accompanied this examination wrote “I assure you that [the body] emitted a wonderful and sweet odour. I myself put one of my hands into the stomach and I found it full because they had not drawn out the intestines at his death or afterwards, and what I found there was all like coagulated blood, smooth and soft, which looked red and smelt sweet.”
1554—the little toe on the right foot was bitten off by a Portuguese lady named Dona Isabel de Carom, “as she was anxious to have a relic of the Saint.” It gushed blood, as if from a living body. Three other toes were later removed as relics from his right foot, one which rests in its native Castle of Xavier (birthplace of Francis Xavier).
November 3, 1614— The right arm was cut off by order of Father General Claude Aquaviva. Cut at the elbow, it was sent to Rome in the following year, where it is kept in a silver reliquary and venerated in the church of Gesu. The body was found to be “beautiful and whole” at the time of this desiccation. The eyes were bright and black and the lips scarlet red, the tongue moist and pink, the beard black and thick.
The limbs flexed easily, according to the report. “The forehead is broad and high, with two rather large veins, soft and of a purple tint, running down the middle as is often seen in talented persons who concentrate a great deal. The eyes are lively and sweet, with so penetrating a glance that he would seem to be alive and breathing. The lips are of a bright reddish colour and the beard is thick. In the cheeks there is a delicate vermilion tint. The tongue is quite flexible, red and moist and the chin is beautifully proportioned.
In a word, the body has all the appearances of being that of a living man. The blood is fluid, the lips flexible, the flesh solid, the colour lively, the feet straight, the nails well formed. The loss of two toes left a darkish trace on the right leg. But for this, there can be found no other body so clean and sound as the body of the Apostle of the Indies. It is so great a marvel and miracle that on seeing it, while I was present, the Commissary of the Dutch East India Company, Mynheer Vandryeers, became at once a convert to the Catholic Faith."
April 27, 1619—the rest of the right arm with the shoulder blade was cut off at the order of the same Fr General in order to satisfy the request of the Jesuit Province of Japan for a great relic of its first apostle. At that time Japan was in the middle of a fierce persecution. Many small pieces of relic have been made from these pieces and sent to congregations and shrines throughout the world. Bits of skin, hair, nails were removed and distributed.
1698—The Jesuit authorities in Rome ordered the holy relic to be enclosed in glass to prevent further desiccation. This glass coffin was later encased in a silver casket.
Feb 10-12 1782—first exposition of the relics to the people, in response to a rumor that the relics had been stolen away by the Jesuits, leaving the empty coffin behind.
Before the exposition, there was an official inspection of the relics, on Jan 1, 1782. They “found the body vested in sacerdotal robes, the head intact, with enough hair on the skull, which is visible; the face shrunken but covered with skin, with a trace of a small contusion on the right side; both ears intact, all the teeth, except a missing one, visible; the left arm and hand shrunk but covered with skin; the rest of the body entire but without intestines, as the Archbishop ascertained by passing his hand below the vestments; the thighs and feet shrunk, but still covered with skin, the veins being visible; the toes still had their nails, though one of them was missing. The authorities were then satisfied that the body was in a fit state to be exposed to the view of the people.”
Dec 3, 1859 – Jan 8, 1860—second exposition. Body in same condition as previous exposition. Eight miraculous cures that were individually examined and verified and seven person asked for baptism.
Dec 3 1878 - Jan 6, 1879—third exposition. This is the first time the body was photographed, which “gives us an invaluable document to the state of the body at the time. And it was in the same state in 1922.”. 300,000 people kissed the feet of the Saint, notable among them was the Nizam of Hyderabad who went there in a special ship. There were fourteen miraculous cures which were examined and authenticated.
Dec 3, 1890 - Jan 1 1891—fourth exposition. Fifty-seven miraculous cures were examined and authenticated.
Dec 7-10, 1900--short exposition due to the Eucharist Congress held in Goa.
Nov 26 – Dec 28, 1910—sixth exposition. Many important dignitaries came among the pilgrims, including the prelates from British India. Thirteen miraculous cures were verified, among them a Jesuit missionary from Germany who later devoted his life to the study and writing of Xavier’s life. This is Father George Schurhammer, S.J., whose work on St Francis Xavier is well known among the Jesuits.
Dec 3, 1922 to Jan 7, 1923—exposition in honor of the third centenary of the canonization of St Francis Xavier. 4,000 Masses were celebrated during the expositon. Many miraculous cures. Twenty-one conversions from Anglicanism, Hinduism, Mohammedanism and Zoroastrianism. (The author of the book I am referencing states his grandfather attended this exposition and he recounts his grandfather’s memories, which is probably why the previous religions of the converts is pointed out here and nowhere else. It should be noted that for all of the conversions associated with this Saint throughout the years, most of them were previously Hindu, and a good number of them were Muslims and Anglican/Protestants.)
Dec 3, 1931 to Jan 10, 1932—exposition at the request of the new governor of Goa who was greatly devoted to the Saint. More than 500,000 people came to venerate the relic. Twenty miraculous cures reported and verified. Twelve persons asked for instruction and baptism.
May 6-17, 1942—exposition in honor of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of St Francis Xavier to Goa. Troubles leading up to partition of India and the on-going World War II made travel difficult to the shrine. In lieu of travel, the devoted sent their petitions by post and telegram. 10,000 petitions were collected and laid at the feet of the Saint.
Dec 3, 1952- Jan 6, 1953—exposition in honor of the 400th anniversary of the Saint’s death. 817,000 faithful kissed the relics. Five miraculous cures were reported.
At the end of this exposition, it was decided that pilgrims should no longer touch the holy relic and it was enclosed in a glass case in 1955.
Dec 13-31, 1961—secret exposition for the troops and officials of the Portuguese occupation. These were the days of tension between the Indian Union and the Portuguese Government over the question of merger of Goa. As tensions began to grow, the Saint's relics were exposed and his intercession sought. After Goa was liberated from Portuguese occupation, the relics were quietly put back in the glass case, the Goans not made aware of this exposition.
Dec 24, 1964 - Jan 6, 1965—exposition in honor of the 38th International Eucharistic Congress held in Bombay. In preparation for this event, the Indian government did much in repairing churches, and laying out roads and electrical lighting for the first time. Pope Paul VI visited the Eucharistic Congress in Bombay on Dec 4th of 1964. On his way back to Rome the next day, the pope flew over Goa in his plane, sending a prayer as he did so.
Nov 23, 1974 to Jan 5, 1975--exposition in honor of the Holy Year proclaimed by Pope Paul in 1975, namely “Renewal and Reconciliation”. It was post Vat II fever, complete with an exhibition “Witness ‘75” held in the historic convent of St Monica, it ‘discouraged ‘external pomp’ of the exposition and directed everything be performed in ‘sober austerity’.
February 12, 1975—medical examination by two physicians, and a dean of the medical college of Panjim. They found great changes in the face. The left eye no longer protruded. The eyelids can still be distinguished. On the exterior they still form part of the face whose skin seems to be dry, withered and rough with some spots of decay and the hairs of the beard are sticking to the chin. In the angle of the lower jaw there is a spot of decay in the skin, revealing clearly the bone in a fresh condition.
The outer right ear looks rather atrophied. In the hand and feet they could still see the flexuous veins and tendons. The right heel is detached but kept in position with the rest of the bones by a piece of wire. The colour of the skin of the parts that are bare is clayish.”
To date:
According to the local Indian newspaper, the remains of the Saint are exposed every ten years around the anniversary of his death until the Epiphany. The last one was Dec 3, 2004 to Jan 6, 2005, in honor of the 450th anniversary of the death of the Saint.
Every year on the Feast day of the Saint, Dec 3, thousands flock to the Basilica to venerate the Saint and pray for various intentions. Many are Catholic of course, but there are also many Hindus and Protestants and Muslims who attend each year as well. To this day, many report miracles and conversions as a result of the intercession of this great Saint Francis Xavier, the Apostle to the Indies.
The relics of St Francis Xavier have been enclosed in a glass case since February 13, 1955; “there can be now no difficulty in keeping them exposed to the view of the public. They are not hermetically sealed, as many thought before; the top lid can be opened by removing screws; this is how the glasses are cleaned from the inside, as it was done after the 12th and before the 13th expositions in order to render the relics more visible.”
It rests atop a tall pedestal, the marble mausoleum, which is to the right of the main altar of the Basilica. This is the “permanent exposition”, however, when I was at the Basilica, I had difficulty seeing the relic, even standing upon the steps at the altar and standing on tip toe to see into the glass case. (I am only 5 foot 2 inches tall, but most of the locals are no taller.) The mausoleum probably stands 8 feet above the ground, and the glass case is on that. I can see why the Faithful would still insist on regular expositions.
Here are some more web pages on Saint Francis Xavier, His Life and His Incorrupt Body.
http://pweb.sophia.ac.jp/~d-mccoy/xavier/newman2.html
Xavier’s Tomb
http://pweb.sophia.ac.jp/~d-mccoy/xavier/newman3.html
Saint Francis Xavier—The Miraculous Body.
http://www.goacentral.com/Goachurches/churches_of_old_goa.htm
Churches of Old Goa including the Basilica of Bom Jesu where the Relics of Saint Francis Xavier are kept in a casket.
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=36123
Once a Decade.
P.S.- A special cremony is planned today at Saint Peter's Basilica. Please pray for the welfare of all Indian Catholics today specially those in Goa, Bombay, and in other places too.
Yes, we will and thank you for the fascinating article.
| Jn 10:31-42 | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | Douay-Rheims | Vulgate |
| 31 | The Jews then took up stones to stone him. | sustulerunt lapides Iudaei ut lapidarent eum |
| 32 | Jesus answered them: Many good works I have shewed you from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me? | respondit eis Iesus multa opera bona ostendi vobis ex Patre meo propter quod eorum opus me lapidatis |
| 33 | The Jews answered him: For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy: and because that thou. being a, man, makest thyself God. | responderunt ei Iudaei de bono opere non lapidamus te sed de blasphemia et quia tu homo cum sis facis te ipsum Deum |
| 34 | Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law: I said, you are gods? | respondit eis Iesus nonne scriptum est in lege vestra quia ego dixi dii estis |
| 35 | If he called them gods to whom the word of God was spoken; and the scripture cannot be broken: | si illos dixit deos ad quos sermo Dei factus est et non potest solvi scriptura |
| 36 | Do you say of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world: Thou blasphemest; because I said: I am the Son of God? | quem Pater sanctificavit et misit in mundum vos dicitis quia blasphemas quia dixi Filius Dei sum |
| 37 | If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. | si non facio opera Patris mei nolite credere mihi |
| 38 | But if I do, though you will not believe me, believe the works: that you may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in the Father. | si autem facio et si mihi non vultis credere operibus credite ut cognoscatis et credatis quia in me est Pater et ego in Patre |
| 39 | They sought therefore to take him: and he escaped out of their hands. | quaerebant ergo eum prendere et exivit de manibus eorum |
| 40 | And he went again beyond the Jordan, into that place where John was baptizing first. And there he abode. | et abiit iterum trans Iordanen in eum locum ubi erat Iohannes baptizans primum et mansit illic |
| 41 | And many resorted to him: and they said: John indeed did no sign. | et multi venerunt ad eum et dicebant quia Iohannes quidem signum fecit nullum |
| 42 | But all things whatsoever John said of this man were true. And many believed n him. | omnia autem quaecumque dixit Iohannes de hoc vera erant et multi crediderunt in eum |
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John Baptist de la Salle was born at Rheims in 1651, became a member of the cathedral chapter at Rheims when he was sixteen, and was ordained a priest in 1678. Soon after ordination he was put in charge of a girls' school, and in 1679 he met Adrian Nyel, a layman who wanted to open a school for boys. Two schools were started, and Canon de la Salle became interested in the work of education. He took an interest in the teachers, eventually invited them to live in his own house, and tried to train them in the educational system that was forming in his mind. This first group ultimately left, unable to grasp what the saint had in mind; others, however, joined him, and the beginnings of the Brothers of the Christian Schools were begun. 