God can do so much more with your life then you can do with it…..”Our Lord shall come with power; he will enlighten the eyes of his servants”

Today the Universal Church honors St Francis Xavier, a founding member of the Jesuit Order and missionary to Asia….Francis Xavier met Ignatius Loyola at the University of Paris…..Francis Xavier came from a noble Spanish family as did Ignatius Loyola, he was a great athlete and a scholar…..He had a wonderful life of wealth, power and prestige in front of him…..Instead he chose a different path…..”He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave…….He humbled himself becoming obedient to death…….Because of this, God greatly exalted him”……….Francis Xavier encounter the living God and this encountered changed the course of his life….Any person who encounters Truth incarnate is never the same…..And because of this encounter the world was not the same…St Francis Xavier brought the Catholic faith to India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia & Japan….His impact in the Christian world is second only to St Paul as far as the miles he traveled and the souls he converted to Christ……….All because of his encounter with the Carpenter from Nazareth….What makes the son of a noble family give-up everything the world has to offer?…The answer was clear to Francis Xavier - Such a person does not give up such a life for a myth or lie

“A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom”

As Catholics it’s so important to familiarize ourselves with the lives of the saints….The saints were real people who did incredible things….What was their secret?…They had an authentic encounter with Christ…Far too many people view Jesus as just a word…He was just some "guy" who lived 2000 years ago to many…But if you step back and think about how millions upon millions of people have changed their lives because of Jesus Christ - Its simply hard to grasp….Jesus said he was the Truth…And each of us deeply desires to live a life of Truth - But we are afraid…...When someone speaks the Truth, something resonates deep within the human heart

"He shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save."

Before we can be filled with God, we must empty ourself…This is what the saints did and do….As a 54 year old man I have seen many people come and go in my life…I always marvel at how I knew a person in one chapter of my life and now that same person changes….Marriage is one of those “encounters” with Truth…Marriage changes a man…He becomes selfless…He lives for his wife and children…Marriage is a Sacrament and God helps a man to make this change…I have seen this many times in my life…A person I knew “changed” once he got married…..Similarly, if we take our Catholic faith seriously and allow the grace of the Sacraments, daily prayer and fasting to take hold of our life, we too will change….St Paul puts it this way….”Yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me”…..This kind of “change” is very real and is available to us all…..We see this example in the lives of the saints but also in many Catholic couples who live their marriage Sacramentally…This is the road to heaven…”To die to ourself”…Far too many people have a misconception of what it means to “go to heaven”…..What do you mean Joe?…….The road to heaven is a constant call to die to ourself…..But I believe in Jesus Joe, isn’t that enough?…..Of course we must believe in Jesus, but if we do not try to imitate the life of Christ and live what he taught - Then “Jesus” is simple just “a guy” or a word that gets “thrown around” a lot……The saints show us this lived example in real time…And as a result, God uses them…God can use us too if we let him.

On that day, The root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, The Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.

St Francis Xavier shook the foundations of the world because he fully embraced the will of God and emptied himself, allowing the Holy Spirit to empower him….If he did not say “Yes” to the Lord, he would have been just another “rich kid” who went to a good college and made money when he got out - No different then today…Instead, Francis Xavier chose a different path and countless lives were changed because of his choice - His YES….This “path” is available to each of us….When you have been blessed with an education and come from a good family, like St Francis Xavier, its very easy to choose the path laid out for you - The path we all have been indoctrinated to take by our society….However, if we really want to make a difference…And deep down everyone wants to make an impact…Then we must “Let-go” and “Let God”…This kind of choice begins with an authentic encounter with the living God…Because God is real…People do not give up wonderful lives for a myth or a lie….So why settle for second best?…..God can do so much more with your life then you can do with it…..”Our Lord shall come with power; he will enlighten the eyes of his servants”