Gospel in Art: Saint Francis Xavier, Priest

Virgin Mary with Infant Jesus and Her 15 Mysteries, with Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, by Unknown Japanese artist, 17th C (Azuchi-Momoyama period) © Kyoto University Museum, Japan

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 3 December 2025
Mark 16:15-20

At that time: Jesus appeared to the Eleven and he said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.'

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

Reflection on the painting

Saint Francis Xavier stands as one of the great missionary saints of the Church. Born in Navarre in 1506 and one of the first companions of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Francis took to heart Jesus' command to "go and make disciples of all nations." After years of ministry in Europe, he set sail in 1541 on a journey that would take him far beyond the familiar world of the West. For thirteen months he battled storms and sickness before finally arriving in Goa, India, where he threw himself into preaching, baptising, and gathering communities of new believers. But his missionary zeal kept pushing him farther; wherever he sensed the Gospel had not yet been heard, he longed to go.

Off he went on further travels, to India, Malaysia, Japan, and his longing to enter China. In Japan, he walked from village to village, preaching in the simplest of ways, learning the language, respecting the culture, and winning hearts through humility and gentleness. He spoke of Christ not as a foreign idea, but as the fulfilment of every longing in the human soul. His close, personal friendship with Christ meant he could speak about Him with authenticity - and people believed him. In just ten short years, he travelled more than 60,000 kilometres (an astonishing feat for the sixteenth century!) and laid the foundations of Christian communities that still endure today. He died in 1552 on the island of Shangchuan, gazing toward the coastline of China, the land he never reached.

Our painting today is a good example of Namban art, the artistic style that emerged in Japan in the late 16th and early 17th centuries when Portuguese and Spanish missionaries (the "southern barbarians" or "nanban" as they were called locally) brought Christian imagery to Japanese shores. These works often appear slightly naïve or unfamiliar in proportion and perspective because Japanese artists were interpreting entirely new subjects with their own visual traditions. Without the conventions of European realism, they translated Christian figures, iconography, and narratives into a uniquely Japanese aesthetic: bright colours, simplified forms, flattened space, and expressive gestures. The result is a gentle, almost childlike visual language that reflects both the wonder of first contact and the sincere attempt to understand and depict a faith that was, for them, wondrously new.

Saint Francis Xavier - Pray for us.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/mark-16-15-20-2025/