St. Francis Xavier was one of the most active missionaries in the Church’s history, traveling to distant lands and working tirelessly for the promotion of the Catholic faith.
However, he encountered many obstacles and wrote about them in a letter to St. Ignatius Loyola. In particular, he mentioned one obstacle that prevented his work in converting people to Christianity.
Many, many people hereabouts are not becoming Christians for one reason only: there is nobody to make them Christians.
In St. Francis Xavier’s case, he wanted more missionaries to help in his efforts and believed that if there were simply more workers in the vineyard, there would be a more fruitful harvest.
This principle also applies to our modern world, and it doesn’t even require anyone to travel to distant lands.
The Church needs more “missionaries” in everyday life, people who share their faith with their family and friends.
Many people would gladly accept the Catholic faith if they were simply invited by someone they knew.
Nearly all conversions begin with an invitation from someone, and if more people were willing to extend that invitation, sharing the joy that they have, it’s possible that there would be more converts.
The Church always needs more missionaries, especially in your local neighborhood.
And today we celebrate...