Molly Fernandes
How God works cannot be surmised in words. It is God’s amazing grace that motivated Fr Joseph Vaz to decide to go to Sri Lanka, whose feast we will celebrate on 16 January. And the adventurous, stormy, vulnerable journey is an ocean of contemplation of this firesome soul, who dared to venture into the fearsome, formidable battle. Not a cakewalk, as so was the journey of the missionary St. Francis Xavier.
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It was that special force within, that amazing grace that strengthened him to battle the difficulties he encountered in his missionary endeavour and energised him to proclaim the Gospel of Hope in any situation and was the source of success for his mission.
Sometimes, one is unable to describe the mysterious force or the fire within that is ready to face the outcome. It was this mysterious energy that accompanied Fr. Joseph Vaz, throughout his Sri Lankan journey, while he disguised himself as a coolie and passed off as a labourer employed by the Dutch regime. He and his servant John embarked, with great anxiety in keeping with their disguise as labourers although the journey took 20 days due to a severe storm. Nevertheless, he continued the different forms in disguise walking the streets of Sri Lanka in search of Catholics souls hungry and thirsty for God’s love and administered them the Sacraments. From then, the Church in Sri Lanka grew in leaps and bounds amidst trials and tribulations.
“Remember that one cannot easily do at the time of death what one has neglected to do all his life.” This pearl of wisdom is from St. Joseph Vaz, the star of Goa that shone in Sri Lanka. This great pearl flashed my mind when the priest was delivering the homily on the first day of the novena on 7 January 2025. “While on a visit, the priest said, there were two daughters, well qualified, seated with their parents who dared to say to the priest about their Father(daddy). One of them said: our father gave us the best of education, food, clothing, etc but we hungered from receiving his fatherly love and affection. We saw him as a military commander, instructing about dos and don’ts. The only thing we learnt from him is discipline!
“Yes, we are hungry and thirsty for a fatherly hug, not knowing what it means to sit on the lap of the father!” Well, this story was related while the priest broke the Word where Jesus feeds the hungry with five loaves and two fish, urging the faithful to see beyond physical needs.
It was indeed, Fr Joseph Vaz breaking himself, bending low and distributing or sharing his all, to the people of God when he saw the spiritual desolation of the people deprived of priests. Yes, a man of God, was he, deeply rooted in God.
One of the forms Joseph Vaz took, he adopted a courageous method: he placed the crown of the rosary around his neck, on the bare chest of a beggar, and began to knock from door-to-door begging for alms. He noticed someone who looked with interest at that sign of Catholic piety, so he began with a family and when he was sure of its members’ loyalty, he revealed his own identity. This was the beginning of the re-evangelisation of the island by the zealous evangeliser.
Another virtue of deep faith and hope of Joseph Vaz in God was proved beyond human power: One day when it was raining heavily, Fr Joseph Vaz had to cross the river Mayvana-aru that was flooded. There were some Muslims and Negroes who had been stranded on the bank because of the strong current and depth of water. Fr Joseph Vaz placing his full trust in God, went straight into the river and remaining still in the middle, asked the stranded people to cross over and after they had gone to the other bank, he also followed them. Some were laughing and making mockery of him. These people tried to cross the river after he had reached ashore, but failed.
Leaving behind his home, his family, the comfort of his familiar surroundings, he responded to the call to go forth, to speak of Christ, walking by foot through its territory and restoring the presence of the Church everywhere. Certainly, Fr Vaz became a zealous instrument of hope, an example of missionary zeal to preach and spread the faith amidst Challenges.
His adaptation of life-style, dressing himself even as a labourer, are an outstanding example for emulation and an inspiration as we reflect on the theme: St Joseph Vaz, a model to be zealous evangelizess of the Gospel of Hope.
