Team Herald
OLD GOA: Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, delivered a profound homily during the High Feast Mass at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa on Tuesday, drawing a sharp distinction between “false messengers” propagating their “message of hate and division” and true messengers of the “Good News” who were inspired by the life of Saint Francis Xavier and Biblical teachings.
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“Where God rules,” he proclaimed, “the walls, the barriers separating people from each other will be torn down. His love is for all. His mercy touches all. His compassion transforms us all.” Unlike worldly rulers who favour some and neglect others, God’s kingdom is radically inclusive. “Those who allow Jesus to rule their hearts,” he said, “will regard each other not as strangers, not as threats, not as enemies, but as brothers and sisters. Members of the same family and body. Co-heirs to the fullness of life.”
The cardinal challenged each individual to reflect deeply: “Do I strive to be an authentic messenger of Jesus, or do I allow myself to be a messenger of destructive forces and influences?”
Authentic messengers, he emphasised, do not promote themselves or seek to be noticed. The Cardinal’s words drew a sharp contrast between true and false messengers. “Authentic messengers, he noted, maintain “a simple lifestyle and a meek attitude.” They face rejection and persecution with the gentleness of doves, not the aggression of wolves, “because they depend on God’s goodness and on the power of God’s Word.”
“Unfortunately, even to our time, we have witnessed the existence of false messengers,” Cardinal Tagle warned. These false messengers are “called and sent by false gods” – the gods of superiority, ambition, greed, discrimination, injustice, indifference, and violence.
He asked the congregation, “Are we joyful messengers of the Good News, or are we messengers of fake news, useless chatter, divisiveness, anger, prejudice and violence”? “Some, when they open their mouth,” he said, “you can already expect a message of hate and division.”
The Cardinal emphasised the universal message of Saint Francis Xavier continues to inspire generations. He described the feast as ‘a profound celebration of love that transcends geographical boundaries’.
“It is a real blessing to be here now and to witness how the legacy, the memory of Saint Francis, which is a memory of love, continues to touch people,” Cardinal Tagle said.
“We can cross mountains and rivers and seas, you know, just to bring the message of love. And we hope that that message of love will be transmitted by all of us,” he added.
Using Saint Francis Xavier as a powerful example, Cardinal Tagle recounted the saint’s journey. Initially sceptical of Ignatius of Loyola, Xavier became one of the first companions of the Society of Jesus. He was not the first choice to go to the East Indies, but when the original plan did not materialise, he embraced his calling.
“God can call second and accidental choices,” the cardinal reminded the congregation. Xavier’s missionary work was characterised by extraordinary simplicity and love. “In all his missionary travels and activities, he brought only the essential books for prayer, catechism, and a book on the devout life.”
