The Trip to the East

Chapter 3

The Way of Vasco de Gama

he first members of the Company of Jesus scattered throughout Italy preaching, teaching catechism to children, visiting the sick and doing parish work.  They preached with that same great enthusiasm which fired the Apostles after the first Pentecost.  Their success was guaranteed because the people judged them to be true people of God.

And their ranks had increased.  Students continued to leave their universities in order to join them.  Ignatius gathered all new recruits in Rome where he taught them some fundamentals of spirituality, and then had them go through the month of retreat (The Ignatian Retreat).

In April 1540, Ignatius asked Francis Xavier to prepare to join the Portuguese expedition to the Far East.  Francis was overjoyed at being asked to do such a difficult thing.  He immediately set out for Lisbon.  He crossed France quickly so that he would be able to spend a little more time in his home town of Navarre.  He found many memories there.  But without delay, he said goodbye and continued on his way.  It was the marvelous freshness of the spring bring new life, reminding him of the new life he was beginning, that enabled him to go his way rejoicing.

One essential characteristic of the missionary is his enthusiasm, that comes both from knowing that what the missionary is doing began with the thought and prayers of those who send him, and from maintaining the beauty and idealism that is in every missionary’s view of service.

Francis met his companion Fr. Simon Rodriguez in Lisbon, for the future voyage.  Because of a shortage of priests in Portugal at that time, it was decided that only Francis would travel to the Far East.  A year passed before the Portuguese fleet was ready.  It was to be the same trip of the famous Portuguese sea captain Vasco de Gama: he made such a journey 50 years earlier, in 1498. 

They left the harbor on April 7, 1541.  That morning began in brilliant sunshine.  Fr. Rodriguez, Paul Camero and a few Jesuit students came to see Francis off.  They knelt on the pier and prayed with Francis.  They prayed: “Lord, you who made the heavens, the earth and the sea… grant to your Francis the courage to preach your message of salvation, the power to cure the sick, and the faith that will enable him to perform signs and wonders in the name of Jesus Christ.” 

Francis’ cabin was on the flagship Santiago.  Four other ships completed the fleet that headed out into the Atlantic.  With difficulty, they sailed to Mozambique.  At the beginning of the following year, they arrived at Socotra which was a famous place where the Apostle Thomas had stopped.  A few weeks later, the ships began the final leg of their voyage.  On May 6, 1542, they anchored at Goa.  It had been eleven months of sea voyage filled with dangers.

Francis was finally able to disembark on the land of his missionary dreams.  He wrote to Rome to assured his fellow Jesuits of his safe arrival.  He also reflected: “In this life, we find our greatest comfort living in the midst of danger, that is, if we confront them solely for the love of God.”   

Strike up a conversation with everyone

n the day that Xavier arrived in Goa, the port was filled with people curious to see “the missionary that the Pope in Rome sent.”  The Bishop of the city invited Francis to stay at his home, but Xavier preferred to remain at a hospital.  He realized that he would have more time and would be able to devote more of his energies to his work if he stayed at the hospital.  He started organizing his missionary team, comprised of people from Cape Comorin and Amboina, the city of pagodas and mosques.  Francis had to pass through both of these place before arriving in Goa.

It was along this coast that Francis hurried to build mission chapels from tree branches and baked clay.  He made a point of frequently visiting these fishing villages, and the outcasts.  He announced to them the Good News of the freedom that Christ had won for every one.  He never took a day off from announcing and sharing the Good News in their homes or at their temples.  Francis was helped by an Indian, by the name of Mansilhas.  Others also gave their assistance.  As a result, large numbers of adults and children received Baptism.

What was his method?  Francis would try to strike up a conversation with everyone.  When he succeeded, he would talk to them about Gospel stories.  Francis was extremely concerned about the people along the cost extending from Goa to Singapore.  In one of his letters, Francis declared his intention to studying the customs of the local people, for “a philosophy of life, and of life after death inspired by God, lay hidden in their proverbs and legends.”  Missionaries must know these non-Christian teachings, rituals and beliefs, for without this knowledge, missionaries will never understand the people to whom they preach Christ.

And further, Francis defended the local people against the abuse of traders, soldiers and government officials.  Unfortunately, both Spain and Portugal used guns, slavery, and trading to enhance their kingdoms and securities, while disrespecting the value and dignity of the people they came in contact with.