It is 3rd December 2020. We celebrate the feast of St Francis Xavier, Priest. He is the patron saint of the missions, together with St. Therese of the Child Jesus. He was a vibrant and ambitious zealous person to evangelise to those who did not know Jesus especially in India, Malaysia, Japan, and China. He left everything for Christ and became so poor to make the people of God rich. He was able to integrate passion for preaching and with compassion towards the poor.
The readings are from Isaiah 26:1-6; and the Gospel from Matthew 7:21, 24-27
“Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock.” (Is.26:4). When we trust the Lord, we go an extra mile for the values of the Gospel. To be a missionary disciple we all need to trust like St. Francis Xavier. Our prayers and material contributions are not enough to be a missionary of the Lord. We all need to offer ourselves physically in the way the Lord inspires. It does not mean that we are to leave our family responsibilities and evangelise in a strange situations and countries. But we all need to involve ourselves in the missionary endeavours of the Church one way or another. The Church cannot continue to be a witness without us being missionaries of the Word and deed. Our stand for God allows and offers the strength to enter the city prepared by God for us all as we reflect in the first reading.
The responsorial Psalm praises, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Ps.118:26).
The Gospel invites us to invest and build our lives on Jesus, the Rock. Our faith in Christ is personal yet it is for the welfare of the community too. The wind of unbelief, indifference, and uncharitable acts sure to hit our life anytime without much prior warnings. Our careful consideration and choices of the moments of faith help us to hold firm to the rock on which we have built our church. We do not need to prove our allegiance to Christ by words alone but by our deeds. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” (Mt.7:21). The will of the Father is to spread the name and person of Jesus through whom we all can reach the Father. May we look at the way we live and evangelise in our family, community, and church. Have a good day. God bless you.