Daily Readings:
Saints/Feasts/Fasts to be observed/commemmorated/celebrated: Advent of the Nativity
Francis Xavier, missionary to Asia, 1552 (Commemoration) W - ELCA
Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta (Javier, 7 April 1506 - 3 December 1552 on Shangchuan Island, China) was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre (Spain) and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits who dedicated themselves to the service of God at Montmartre in 1534. [1] He led an extensive mission into Asia, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time. He was influential in the spreading and upkeep of Catholicism most notably in India, but also ventured into Japan, Borneo, the Moluccas, and other areas which had thus far not been visited by Christian missionaries. In these areas, being a pioneer and struggling to learn the local languages in the face of opposition, he had less success than he had enjoyed in India.
Saint Francis Xavier was one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits.
Apostle to the Far East
Born 7 April 1506
Xavier, Kingdom of Navarre, (Spain)
Died 3 December 1552 (aged 46)
Shangchuan Island, China
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Anglican Communion
Beatified 25 October 1619 by Paul V
Canonized 12 March 1622 by Gregory XV
Feast 3 December
1. Early life
The castle of the Xavier family was later acquired by the Company of Jesus and reconstructed.
Francis Xavier was born in the family castle of Xavier, Spain (Xabier, in Basque) in the Kingdom of Navarre on 7 April 1506 according to a family register. He was born to an aristocratic family of Navarre, the youngest son of Juan de Jaso, privy counsellor to King John III of Navarre (Jean d'Albret), and Doña Maria de Azpilcueta y Xavier, sole heiress of two noble Navarrese families. He was thus related to the great theologian and philosopher Martín de Azpilcueta. Following the Basque surname custom of the time, he was named after his mother[citation needed]; his name is written Francisco de Xavier (Latin Xaverius) in the Spanish literary tradition. Notwithstanding different interpretations on his first language, [2] no evidence suggests that Xavier's mother tongue was other than Basque, as stated by himself and confirmed by the sociolinguistic environment of the time, [3] while he may have got in touch with Romance early due to the social status of his family, close to the royalty. [4]
Joint Castilian and Aragonese troops commanded by Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, second Duke of Alba conquered the Kingdom of Navarre in 1512. After a failed French-Navarrese attempt to reconquer the kingdom in (1516), in which Saint Francis' brothers had taken part, the outer wall, the gates and two towers of the family castle were demolished, the moat was filled, the height of the keep was reduced in half, [5] and land was confiscated. Only the family residence inside the castle was left. Francis' father died in 1515 when he was only nine years old.
In 1525 Francis Xavier went to study at the Collège Sainte-Barbe in Paris. There he met Ignatius of Loyola, who became his faithful companion, and Pierre Favre. While at the time he seemed destined for academic success in the line of his noble family, Ignatius turned to a life of Catholic missionary service. Together with Loyola and five others, in founding the Society of Jesus: on the 15 August 1534, in a small chapel in Montmartre, they made a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience, and also vowed to convert the Muslims in the Middle East (or, failing this, carry out the wishes of the Pope). Francis Xavier went, with the rest of the members of the newly papal-approved Jesuit order, to Venice, Italy, to be ordained to the priesthood, which took place on 24 June 1537. Towards the end of October, the seven companions reached Bologna, where they worked in the local hospital. After that, he served for a brief period in Rome as Ignatius' secretary.
2. Missionary work
Francis Xavier devoted much of his life to missions in foreign countries. In 1540, after successive appeals to the Pope asking for missionaries for the Portuguese East Indies under the Padroado agreement, King King John III of Portugal named Francis Xavier to take charge as Apostolic Nuncio. He had been enthusiastically endorsed by Diogo de Gouveia, who was his teacher at the Collège Sainte-Barbe and advised the king to draw the youngsters of the newly formed Society of Jesus.
He left Lisbon on 7 April 1541 together with two other Jesuits and the new Viceroy Martim Afonso de Sousa, on board the Santiago. From August of that year until March, 1542, he remained in Mozambique then reached Goa, the capital of the then Portuguese Indian colonies on May 6, 1542, were the King believed that Christian values were eroding among the colonists. There he spent the following three years.
On 20 September 1543, he left for his first missionary activity among the Paravas, pearl-fishers along the east coast of southern India, North of Cape Comorin (or Sup Santaz). He lived in a sea cave in Manapad, intensively catechizing Paravar children for three months in 1544. He then focused on converting the king of Travancore to Christianity and also visited Ceylon (now named Sri Lanka). Dissatisfied with the results of his activity, he set his sights eastward in 1545 and planned a missionary journey to Makassar on the island of Celebes (today's Indonesia).
As the first Jesuit in India, Francis had difficulty procuring success for his missionary trips. Instead of trying to approach Christianity through the traditions of the local religion and creating a nativised church as the Jesuit, Matteo Ricci, did in China, he was eager for change[citation needed]. His successors, such as de Nobili, Ricci, and Beschi, attempted to convert the noblemen first as a means to influence more people, while Francis had initially interacted most with the lower classes (later though, in Japan, Francis changed tack by paying tribute to the Emperor and seeking an audience with him). [6] However Francis' mission was primarily, as ordered by King John III, to restore Christianity among the Portuguese settlers. Many of the Portuguese sailors had had illegitimate relationships with Indian women; Francis struggled to restore moral relations, and catechized many illegitimate children.[citation needed]
After arriving in Portuguese Malacca in October of that year and waiting three months in vain for a ship to Makassar, he gave up the goal of his voyage and left Malacca on 1 January 1546, for Ambon Island where he stayed until mid-June. He then visited other Maluku Islands including Ternate and Morotai. Shortly after Easter, 1546, he returned to Ambon Island and later Malacca.
Voyages of St. Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier's work initiated permanent change in eastern Indonesia, and he was known as the 'Apostle of the Indies' where in 1546-1547 he worked in the Maluku Islands among the people of Ambon, Ternate, and Morotai (or Moro), and laid the foundations for a permanent mission. After he left the Maluku Islands, others carried on his work and by the 1560s there were 10,000 Catholics in the area, mostly on Ambon. By the 1590s there were 50,000 to 60,000. [7]
In Malacca in December, 1547, Francis Xavier met a Japanese from Kagoshima named Anjiro. Anjiro had heard from Francis in 1545 and had travelled from Kagoshima to Malacca with the purpose of meeting with him. Having been charged with murder, Anjiro had fled Japan. He told Francis extensively about his former life and the customs and culture of his beloved homeland. Anjiro helped Xavier as a mediator and translator for the mission to Japan that now seemed much more possible. "I asked [Anjiro] whether the Japanese would become Christians if I went with him to this country, and he replied that they would not do so immediately, but would first ask me many questions and see what I knew. Above all, they would want to see whether my life corresponded with my teaching."[citation needed]
He returned to India in January 1548. The next 15 months were occupied with various journeys and administrative measures in India. Then, due to displeasure at what he considered un-Christian life and manners on the part of the Portuguese which impeded missionary work, he travelled from the South into East Asia. He left Goa on 15 April 1549, stopped at Malacca and visited Canton. He was accompanied by Anjiro, two other Japanese men, the father Cosme de Torrès and Brother João Fernandes. He had taken with him presents for the "King of Japan" since he was intending to introduce himself as the Apostolic Nuncio.
Francis Xavier reached Japan on 27 July 1549, with Anjiro and three other Jesuits, but it was not until 15 August that he went ashore at Kagoshima, the principal port of the province of Satsuma on the island of Kyūshū. As a representative of the Portuguese king, he was received in a friendly manner. Hosted by Anjiro's family until October 1550. From October to December, 1550, he resided in Yamaguchi. Shortly before Christmas, he left for Kyoto but failed to meet with the Emperor. He returned to Yamaguchi in March, 1551, where he was permitted to preach by the daimyo of the province. However, lacking fluency in the Japanese language, he had to limit himself to reading aloud the translation of a catechism.
Francis was the first Jesuit to go to Japan as a missionary. [8] He brought with him paintings of the Madonna and the Madonna and Child. These paintings were used to help teach the Japanese about Christianity. There was a huge language barrier as Japanese was unlike other languages the missionaries had previously encountered. For a long time Francis struggled to learn the language. Artwork continued to play a role in Francis’ teachings in Asia.[citation needed]
For forty-five years the Jesuits were the only missionaries in Asia, but the Franciscans also began proselytizing in Asia as well. Christian missionaries were later forced into exile, along with their assistants. Some were able to stay behind, however Christianity was then kept underground as to not be persecuted. [9]
The Japanese people were not easily converted; many of the people were already Buddhist or Shinto. Francis tried to combat the disposition of some of the Japanese that a God who had created everything, including evil, could not be good. The concept of Hell was also a struggle; the Japanese were bothered by the idea of their ancestors living in Hell. Despite Francis’ different religion, he felt that they were good people, much like Europeans, and could be converted. [10] [11] [12]
Xavier was welcomed by the Shingon monks since he used the word Dainichi for the Christian God; attempting to adapt the concept to local traditions. As Xavier learned more about the religious nuances of the word, he changed to Deusu from the Latin and Portuguese Deus. The monks later realized that Xavier was preaching a rival religion and grew more aggressive towards his attempts at conversion.
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The Altar of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines. St. Francis is the principal patron of the town, together with Our Lady of Escalera.
With the passage of time, his sojourn in Japan could be considered somewhat fruitful as attested by congregations established in Hirado, Yamaguchi and Bungo. Xavier worked for more than two years in Japan and saw his successor-Jesuits established. He then decided to return to India. During his trip, a tempest forced him to stop on an island near Guangzhou, China where he saw the rich merchant Diogo Pereira, an old friend from Cochin, who showed him a letter from Portuguese being held prisoners in Guangzhou asking for a Portuguese ambassador to talk to the Chinese Emperor in their favor. Later during the voyage, he stopped at Malacca on 27 December 1551, and was back in Goa by January, 1552.
On 17 April he set sail with Diogo Pereira, leaving Goa on board the Santa Cruz for China. He introduced himself as Apostolic Nuncio and Pereira as ambassador of the King of Portugal. Shortly thereafter, he realized that he had forgotten his testimonial letters as an Apostolic Nuncio. Back in Malacca, he was confronted by the capitão Álvaro de Ataíde da Gama who now had total control over the harbor. The capitão refused to recognize his title of Nuncio, asked Pereira to resign from his title of ambassador, named a new crew for the ship and demanded the gifts for the Chinese Emperor be left in Malacca.
Casket of Saint Francis Xavier in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa
In late August, 1552, the Santa Cruz reached the Chinese island of Shangchuan, 14 km away from the southern coast of mainland China, near Taishan, Guangdong, 200 km south-west of what later became Hong Kong. At this time, he was only accompanied by a Jesuit student, Álvaro Ferreira, a Chinese man called António and a Malabar servant called Christopher. Around mid-November he sent a letter saying that a man had agreed to take him to the mainland in exchange for a large sum of money. Having sent back Álvaro Ferreira, he remained alone with António. He died at Sancian from a fever on the 3 December 1552, while he was waiting for a boat that would agree to take him to mainland China.
3. Burials and relics
He was first buried on a beach of Shangchuan Island. In 2006, on the 500th anniversary of his birth, the Xavier Tomb Monument and Chapel on the island, in ruins after years of neglect under communist rule in China was restored with the support from the alumni of Wah Yan College, a Jesuit high school in Hong Kong. His incorrupt body was taken from the island in February 1553 and was temporarily buried in St. Paul's church in Malacca on 22 March 1553. An open grave in the church now marks the place of Xavier's burial. Pereira came back from Goa, removed the corpse shortly after 15 April 1553, and moved it to his house. On 11 December 1553, Xavier's body was shipped to Goa. The body is now in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa, where it was placed in a glass container encased in a silver casket on 2 December 1637.
St. Francis Xavier's humerus. St. Joseph's church, Macao
Sign accompanying St. Francis Xavier's humerus, Macao.
The right forearm, which Xavier used to bless and baptize his converts, was detached by Pr. Gen. Claudio Acquaviva in 1614. It has been displayed since in a silver reliquary at the main Jesuit church in Rome, Il Gesù. [13]
Another of Xavier's arm bones was brought to Macau where it was kept in a silver reliquary. The relic was destined for Japan but religious persecution there persuaded the church to keep it in Macau's Cathedral of St. Paul. It was subsequently moved to St. Joseph's and in 1978 to the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier on Coloane Island. More recently the relic was moved to St. Joseph's Seminary and the Sacred Art Museum. [14]
4. Controversy
Francis Xavier has been criticized by some for his role in initiating the Goa Inquisition, and for his iconoclasm. Francis requested the Inquisition, but he never saw it happen; it commenced eight years after his death. Yet, as noted by Voltaire, the Inquisition was often cruel, forceful and insensitive to the local culture. According to Rao, "St. Francis Xavier made it a point not only to convert the people but also destroy the idols and ancient places of worship." [15]
5. Legacy
"The Vision of St. Francis Xavier", by Giovanni Battista Gaulli.
St. Francis Xavier is noteworthy for his missionary work, both as organizer and as pioneer. He is said to have converted more people than anyone else has done since Saint Paul. By his compromises in India with the Christians of St. Thomas, he developed the Jesuit missionary methods along lines that subsequently became a successful blueprint for his order to follow. His efforts left a significant impression upon the missionary history of India and, as one of the first Jesuit missionaries to the East Indies, his work is of fundamental significance to Christians in the propagation of Christianity in China and Japan. India still has numerous Jesuit missions, and many more schools. There has been less of an impact in Japan. Following the persecutions of Daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the subsequent closing of Japan to foreigners, the Christians of Japan were forced to go underground and developed an independent Christian culture.
Pope Benedict XVI said of both Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier: "not only their history which was interwoven for many years from Paris and Rome, but a unique desire — a unique passion, it could be said — moved and sustained them through different human events: the passion to give to God-Trinity a glory always greater and to work for the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ to the peoples who had been ignored." [16] As the foremost saint from Navarre and one of the main Jesuit saints, he is much venerated in Spain and the Hispanic countries where Francisco Javier or Javier are common male given names. [17] The alternative spelling Xavier is also popular in Portugal, Brazil, France, Belgium, and southern Italy. In India, the spelling Xavier is almost always used, and the name is reasonably quite common among Christians, especially in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and more common in Goa. In Goa, Xavier besides being a surname, is also seen as the suffix in the names Francisco Xavier, António Xavier, João Xavier, Caetano Xavier, Domingos Xavier et cetera, which were very common till quiet recently. In Austria and Bavaria the name is spelled as Xaver (pronounced Ksaber) and often used in addition to Francis as Franz-Xaver. In English speaking countries, "Xavier" is one of the few names starting with X, and until recently was likely to follow "Francis"; in the last decade, however, "Xavier" by itself has become more popular than "Francis", and is now one of the hundred most common male baby names in the US. [18]
Many churches all over the world have been named in honor of Xavier, often founded by Jesuits. One notable church is the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier in Dyersville, Iowa. The Javierada is an annual pilgrimage from Pamplona to Xavier instituted in the 1940s.
The Novena of Grace is a popular devotion to Francis Xavier, typically prayed on the nine days before 3 December.
One of his relatives is John Sevier. The Sevier family name originated from the name Xavier.
5. 1. Beatification and canonization
Francis Xavier is a Catholic saint. He was beatified by Paul V on 25 October 1619, and was canonized by Gregory XV on 12 March 1622, at the same time as Ignatius Loyola. He is considered to be a patron saint of Roman Catholic missionaries in foreign lands. His feast day is 3 December. [19]
5. 2. Feast and pilgrimage centres
Stained glass church window in Béthanie, Hong Kong of St Francis Xavier baptizing a Chinese.
The feast of Saint Francis Xavier is celebrated on 3 December. It is a large celebration in Velha Goa, Goa and beyond. The year 2009 has a theme Sam Fransikachea Visvaxiponnachea Dekhin, Jezu-Noketra Bhaxen Porzollum-ia, which translates from Konkani into English as 'Inspired by the faithfulness of Saint Francis, let us shine like Jesus, the Star', probably based on the year's pastoral theme of the Archdiocese of Goa e Damão Noketram Bhaxen, Sonvsarant Porzollum-ia which translates into English as 'Shine like Stars, in the World'. The theme of the feast of Saint Francis Xavier, draws light from the Universal Church's declaration of 2009-10 as the Year for Priests. Similarly, the celebrations will also reflect on the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman's focus on the youth this year. [20] A huge pandal is erected in the front of the Bom Jesus Basilica, with almost eight to ten novena Masses daily mainly in Konkani, besides English, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Portuguese. The Archbishop, concelebrates the Solemn High Mass, with other bishops and numerous priests. In 2009, Bishop of Belgaum, Rt Rev Peter Machado will be the main celebrant. [20]
Saint Francis Xavier's relics are kept in a silver casket, elevated inside the Bom Jesus Basilica and are exposed (brought at ground level) when the Archbishop of Goa e Damão decides. Generally it is every ten years, but is not a compulsion. The last exposition was held in 2004 and was held for about one month during December. Bones of Saint Francis Xavier are also found in the Espirito Santo (Holy Spirit) Church, Margão and in Sanv Fransiku Xavierachi Igorz (Church of St. Francis Xavier), Batpal, Canacona, Goa. eim Numerous people from Goa, India (mainly from the southern Indian states), south Asia and beyond visit Goa to attend the feast.
Other pilgrimage centres include Saint Francis Xavier's birthplace in Navarra, Church of Il Gesu, Rome, Malacca (where he was buried for 2 years, before being brought to Goa), Sancian (Place of death) etc.
The Javierada is an annual pilgrimage from Pamplona to Xavier instituted in the 1940s.
5. 3. Hymns
There are many hymns written in his honour. Sam Fransisku Xaviera is a Konkani hymn, which is sung as the recessional hymn at most of the novenas held at Bom Jesus Basilica, Velha Goa, the place where the relics of St. Francis Xavier are kept.
6. Fictional
•In Rudyard Kipling's book Kim, the eponymous hero is sent to St. Xavier's School in Lucknow, a fictional establishment said (in the book) to be the most prestigious school in British India.
•The episode Unholy Union of the Anime Samurai Champloo features a villain claiming to be Francis Xavier's grandson, calling himself Francis Xavier III. The man is in fact a Japanese impostor rallying Christians into gun-racketeering by playing with their faith.
•In Capcom's videogame series Sengoku BASARA, the character Zabii is a representation of Francis Xavier. He leads a faction called "The Zabii Cult" that is composed mainly of men who are similar in appearance to Christian monks.
7. See also
•Goa Inquisition
•Jesuit China missions
•Catholicism in China
•Christianity in China
•Vettathunad
•Flying Saints
•Roman Catholicism in Japan
•Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
•Xavier University of Louisiana
•St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada
•Chronology of European exploration of Asia
•Francis Xavier (name)
•St Francis Xavier's Green Herald International School
8. Footnotes
1.Attwater (1965), p. 141.
2.euskara.euskadi.net (French) François Xavier naquit au sud de cette démarcation à la limite de l'Aragon (1506) et vécut dans son château natal de Xavier jusqu'à l'âge de 19 ans. C'est là qu'il apprit ses deux premières langues: d'une part le basque dans sa famille bascophone (de la région du Baztan et de la Basse-Navarre) et avec ceux qui arrivaient des provinces voisines encore bascophones au château et d'autre part la langue romane de son entourage géographique immédiat. Ce qui explique pourquoi le missionraire navarrais désignera l'euskara comme "sa langue naturelle bizcayenne" (1544), terme très étendu à cette époque.
3."JAVIER; Lengua". EuskoMedia Fundazioa. http://www.euskomedia.org/aunamendi/71234/47295. Retrieved 2010-01-29. Site in Spanish
4.Navarro-Aragonese, called Romance at this time was also a language spoken on the east fringes (cf. Monastery of Leyre), southern plains, major towns and the nobility milieu of Navarre which eventually merged with Castilian. Romance languages are the result of the changes suffered by spoken Latin through the centuries. Hispanic Romance languages were born in the North of the Peninsula (Galician, Leonese, Castilian, Navarro-Aragonese, Catalonian).
5.Sagredo Garde, Iñaki. "Navarra. Castillos que defendieron el Reino". Pamiela, 2006. ISBN 84-7681-477-1
6.Duignan, Peter. "Early Jesuit Missionaries: A Suggestion for Further Study." American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 60, No. 4 (August 1958). pp. 725-732. Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the American Anthropological Association. Accessed 30th Novbeber, 2008 .
7.Ricklefs, M.C. (1993). A History of Modern Indonesia Since c.1300, 2nd Edition. London: MacMillan. pp. 25. ISBN 0-333-57689-6.
8.Shusaku Endo (1969), Silence, p. vii, Translator's Preface, William Johnston, Taplinger Publishing Company, New York
9.Vlam, Grace A. H. The Portrait of Francis Xavier in Kobe. Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte, 42 Bd., H. 1, pp. 48-60 Berlin: Deutscher Kunstverlag GmbH Munchen, 1979. 30 November 2008 jstor
10.Ellis, Robert Richmond. “The Best Thus Far Discovered”: The Japanese in the Letters of St. Francisco Xavier. Hispanic Review, Vol. 71 No. 2 (Spring 2003), pp. 155-169 University of Pennsylvania Press. 30 November 2008 jstor
11.Xavier, Francis. The Letters and Instructions of Francis Xavier. Translated by M. Joseph Costellos, S.J. St Louis: The Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1992
12.http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1552xavier4.html
13.Cappella di san Francesco Saverio, at the official website of Il Gesù. (Italian)
14.Chapel of St. Francis Xavier, at the official website of the Macau Government Tourist Office.
15.Rao, R.P. (1963). Portuguese Rule in Goa: 1510—1961. New York: Asia Publishing House. pp. 43.
16.Address of Benedict XVI to the Jesuits, 22 April 2006.
17.The most frequent names, simple and exact for the national total and exact for the province of residence, Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain). Excel spreadsheet format. Javier is the 10th most popular complete name for males, Francisco Javier, the 18th. Javier is the 8th most frequent name for males, either alone or in composition.
18.http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
19.Attwater (1965), pp. 141-142.
20.^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Stage-set-for-novenas-feast-of-St-Francis-Xavier/articleshow/5217786.cms
9. References
•This article incorporates material from the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religion
•Attwater, Donald. (1965) A Dictionary of Saints. Penguin Books, Middlesex, England. Reprint: 1981.
•Jou, Albert. (1984) The Saint on a Mission. Anand Press, Anand, India.
ELCA Daily Readings:
Friday, December 3, 2010
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
Psalm 72
1Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son.
2May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
3May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness.
4May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.
5May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.
7In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
18Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
19Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.
Isaiah 30:19-26
Isaiah 30:19-2619Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. 20Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. 21And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” 22Then you will defile your silver-covered idols and your gold-plated images. You will scatter them like filthy rags; you will say to them, “Away with you!” 23He will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and grain, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. On that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures; 24and the oxen and donkeys that till the ground will eat silage, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. 25On every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water—on a day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. 26Moreover the light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, like the light of seven days, on the day when the Lord binds up the injuries of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.
Acts 13:16-25
Acts 13:16-2516So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak: “You Israelites, and others who fear God, listen. 17The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18For about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. 19After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance 20for about four hundred fifty years. After that he gave them judges until the time of the prophet Samuel. 21Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. 22When he had removed him, he made David their king. In his testimony about him he said, ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.’ 23Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised; 24before his coming John had already proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25And as John was finishing his work, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but one is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of the sandals on his feet.”
LCMS Readings:
December 3rd, 2010
Friday of Ad Te Levavi (Advent 1)
Read today's Higher Things Daily Reflection
December 3, 2010 - Friday of the First Week of Advent
Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 9:8-10:11; 1 Peter 5:1-14
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The church celebrates Advent because the devil is prowling around trying to eat us. Advent reminds us that being a Christian means living a life in which we are watching and waiting for our Lord to come. It is a life in which we recognize sin for what it is: the snapping jaws of the devil-lion that seeks to tear us limb from limb. The world lives like the drunk guy at the zoo, taunting the lions and then suddenly stumbling over the wall and into the lion's den where he is pounced upon and torn to shreds. Don't ever think that's not exactly what the devil has in mind for you: to tempt you, to drag you away from Christ and tear you to shreds!
With such a lion roaming around, how do we keep watch? How do we stay vigilant? We hide in the one place where sin cannot harm us: Christ's church. There, where Christ has His advent among us, we are protected from this roaring lion. Where Christ is, who was Himself snatched by the jaws of death,, we are safe from sin and death. Where Christ is, who has conquered sin and death and stolen the devil's power to accuse us, we are safe from the evil one. Where our baptism is, there we have been rescued from the beast that hunts us. Where Christ's body and blood are given, sinners are saved from the lion that seeks to devour them.
Peter says to resist the devil, “steadfast in the faith.” Sound familiar? “The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you steadfast in the true faith to life everlasting.” It is the Lord who keeps you in the faith that resists the devil. It is the Lord who protects you from those evil jaws of death. It is the Lord who has rescued you from the devil's power and might. It is Christ, who has become the hunter and has taken down that lion for you so that it cannot bother you any more. The evil foe has no power over you. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Behold the Lamb of God That bears the world's transgression, Whose sacrifice removes The devil's dread oppression. Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away our sin, Who for our peace and joy Will full atonement win. (LSB 346:3)
Questions or comments regarding the Reflections may be sent to the Rev. Mark Buetow, Reflectons Editor, reflections@higherthings.org
Collect
Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Reading: Is. 9:8-10:11
Judgment on Arrogance and Oppression
8The Lord has sent a word against Jacob,
and it will fall on Israel; 9and all the people will know,
(A) Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
who say in pride and in arrogance of heart: 10"The bricks have fallen,
but we will build with dressed stones;the sycamores have been cut down,
but we will put cedars in their place." 11But the LORD raises the adversaries of Rezin against him,
and stirs up his enemies. 12(B) The Syrians on the east and(C) the Philistines on the west
devour Israel with open mouth.(D) For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
13The people(E) did not turn to him who struck them,
nor inquire of the LORD of hosts. 14So the LORD cut off from Israel(F) head and tail,
palm branch and reed in one day— 15(G) the elder and honored man is the head,
and(H) the prophet who teaches lies is the tail; 16for those who guide this people have been leading them astray,
and those who are guided by them are swallowed up. 17Therefore the Lord does not(I) rejoice over their young men,
and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows;for everyone is(J) godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks(K) folly.[a](L) For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
18For wickedness burns like(M) a fire;
it consumes briers and thorns;it kindles the thickets of the forest,
and they roll upward in a column of smoke. 19Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts
the land is scorched,and(N) the people are like fuel for the fire;
(O) no one spares another. 20(P) They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry,
and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied;(Q) each devours the flesh of his own arm, 21Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh;
together they are(R) against Judah.(S) For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
1Woe to those who(T) decree iniquitous decrees,
and the writers who(U) keep writing oppression, 2to turn aside the needy from justice
and(V) to rob the poor of my people of their right,that widows may be their spoil,
and that they may make the fatherless their prey! 3What will you do on(W) the day of punishment,
in the ruin that will come(X) from afar?To whom will you flee for help,
and where will you leave your wealth? 4Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners
or fall among the slain.(Y) For all this his anger has not turned away,
and his hand is stretched out still.
Judgment on Arrogant Assyria
5Ah, Assyria,(Z) the rod of my anger;
the staff in their hands is my fury! 6Against a(AA) godless nation I send him,
and against the people of my wrath I command him,to take(AB) spoil and seize plunder,
and to(AC) tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7But he(AD) does not so intend,
and his heart does not so think;but it is in his heart to destroy,
and to cut off nations not a few; 8for he says:(AE) "Are not my commanders all kings? 9(AF) Is not(AG) Calno like(AH) Carchemish?
Is not(AI) Hamath like(AJ) Arpad?
(AK) Is not(AL) Samaria like Damascus? 10As my hand has reached to(AM) the kingdoms of the idols,
whose carved images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria, 11shall I not do to Jerusalem and(AN) her idols
(AO) as I have done to Samaria and her images?"
Footnotes:Isaiah 9:17 Or speaks disgraceful things
Cross references:Isaiah 9:9 : Isaiah 7:2, 5, 8, 9, 17 Isaiah 9:12 : 2 Kgs 16:6 Isaiah 9:12 : 2 Chr 28:18 Isaiah 9:12 : Isaiah 9:17, 21; Isaiah 5:25; 10:4 Isaiah 9:13 : Isaiah 1:5; Hos 7:10 Isaiah 9:14 : Isaiah 19:15; Deut 28:13 Isaiah 9:15 : Isaiah 3:2, 3 Isaiah 9:15 : Isaiah 28:7; Mic 3:5 Isaiah 9:17 : Psalm 147:10, 11 Isaiah 9:17 : Isaiah 10:6 Isaiah 9:17 : Gen 34:7 Isaiah 9:17 : Isaiah 9:12 Isaiah 9:18 : Psalm 83:14; James 3:5 Isaiah 9:19 : Isaiah 24:6 Isaiah 9:19 : Mic 7:2 Isaiah 9:20 : Isaiah 8:21 Isaiah 9:20 : Isaiah 49:26; Deut 28:53-57 Isaiah 9:21 : Isaiah 11:13; 2 Chr 28:6-9 Isaiah 9:21 : Isaiah 9:12 Isaiah 10:1 : Psalm 94:20 Isaiah 10:1 : Jer 8:8 Isaiah 10:2 : Isaiah 5:23 Isaiah 10:3 : Jer 5:29; Hos 9:7; Luke 19:44 Isaiah 10:3 : Isaiah 5:26 Isaiah 10:4 : Isaiah 9:12 Isaiah 10:5 : Isaiah 10:24; Isaiah 9:4; Mic 5:1; 6:9 Isaiah 10:6 : Isaiah 9:17 Isaiah 10:6 : 2 Kgs 18:14-16 Isaiah 10:6 : Isaiah 5:5 Isaiah 10:7 : Mic 4:12 Isaiah 10:8 : 2 Kgs 18:24 Isaiah 10:9 : 2 Kgs 19:12, 13 Isaiah 10:9 : Gen 10:10; Amos 6:2 Isaiah 10:9 : 2 Chr 35:20; Jer 46:2 Isaiah 10:9 : Isaiah 11:11; Amos 6:2; Zech 9:2 Isaiah 10:9 : 2 Kgs 18:34 Isaiah 10:9 : 2 Kgs 16:9; 17:6 Isaiah 10:9 : Isaiah 7:9 Isaiah 10:10 : 2 Kgs 19:17, 18 Isaiah 10:11 : Isaiah 2:8 Isaiah 10:11 : 2 Kgs 18:34
Second Reading: 1 Pt. 5:1-14
Shepherd the Flock of God
1So I exhort the elders among you,(A) as a fellow elder and(B) a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2(C) shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,[a](D) not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;[b](E) not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3not(F) domineering over those in your charge, but(G) being examples to the flock. 4And when(H) the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the(I) unfading(J) crown of glory. 5Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.(K) Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for(L) "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
6(M) Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7(N) casting all your anxieties on him, because(O) he cares for you. 8(P) Be sober-minded;(Q) be watchful. Your(R) adversary the devil(S) prowls around(T) like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9(U) Resist him,(V) firm in your faith, knowing that(W) the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10And(X) after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,(Y) who has called you to his(Z) eternal glory in Christ, will himself(AA) restore,(AB) confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11(AC) To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
12By(AD) Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him,(AE) I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is(AF) the true grace of God.(AG) Stand firm in it. 13She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does(AH) Mark, my son. 14(AI) Greet one another with the kiss of love.
(AJ) Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Footnotes:1 Peter 5:2 Some manuscripts omit exercising oversight 1 Peter 5:2 Some manuscripts omit as God would have you
Cross references:1 Peter 5:1 : 2 John 1; 3 John 1 1 Peter 5:1 : Luke 24:48 1 Peter 5:2 : Jude 12; John 21:16 1 Peter 5:2 : Philem 14 1 Peter 5:2 : 1 Tim 3:8; Titus 1:7 1 Peter 5:3 : Ezek 34:4; Matt 20:25; Mark 10:42; 2 Cor 1:24 1 Peter 5:3 : Phil 3:17; 2 Thess 3:9; 1 Tim 4:12; Titus 2:7 1 Peter 5:4 : Heb 13:20 1 Peter 5:4 : 1 Peter 1:4 1 Peter 5:4 : 1 Cor 9:25; James 1:12 1 Peter 5:5 : Matt 20:26, 27; John 13:4, 5, 14 1 Peter 5:5 : James 4:6, 10 1 Peter 5:6 : 1 Peter 5:5 1 Peter 5:7 : Psalm 37:5; 55:22; Matt 6:25 1 Peter 5:7 : Psalm 40:17 1 Peter 5:8 : 1 Peter 1:13 1 Peter 5:8 : Matt 24:42 1 Peter 5:8 : Eph 4:27; 6:11; Rev 12:9, 12; Job 1:9-12; Luke 22:31; 2 Cor 2:11 1 Peter 5:8 : Job 1:7; 2:2 1 Peter 5:8 : Psalm 22:21 1 Peter 5:9 : James 4:7 1 Peter 5:9 : Col 2:5 1 Peter 5:9 : Acts 14:22; 1 Thess 3:3; 2 Tim 3:12 1 Peter 5:10 : 1 Peter 1:6 1 Peter 5:10 : 1 Cor 1:9; 1 Thess 2:12; 1 Tim 6:12 1 Peter 5:10 : 2 Tim 2:10 1 Peter 5:10 : Heb 13:21 1 Peter 5:10 : Luke 22:32; Rom 16:25 1 Peter 5:11 : 1 Peter 4:11 1 Peter 5:12 : Acts 15:22; 2 Cor 1:19; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1 1 Peter 5:12 : Heb 13:22 1 Peter 5:12 : Acts 11:23 1 Peter 5:12 : 1 Cor 15:1 1 Peter 5:13 : Acts 12:12 1 Peter 5:14 : Rom 16:16 1 Peter 5:14 : Eph 6:23
Friday Father Reading
"Receive the sinless body and Blood of your Lord in the fullness of faith, assured that you are feeding upon the Lamb Himself in His entirety." [St. Ephraem. "Sermon Against Questioners." 4th Century]
All Scripture Readings: English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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