138 Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale

III

Iter Apostolicum in Srilankam et Philippinas: - Occasione Canonizationis beati Iosephi Vaz, Columbi.*

« All the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God »1

This is the magnificent prophecy which we heard in today's first reading.

Isaiah foretells the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all the ends

of the earth. This prophecy has a special meaning for us, as we celebrate

the canonization of a great missionary of the Gospel, Saint Joseph Vaz.

Like countless other missionaries in the history of the Church, he responded

to the Risen Lord's command to make disciples of every nation.2 By his

words, but more importantly, by the example of his life, he led the people

of this country to the faith which gives us « an inheritance among all God's

holy ones ».3

In Saint Joseph we see a powerful sign of God's goodness and love for

the people of Sri Lanka. But we also see in him a challenge to persevere

in the paths of the Gospel, to grow in holiness ourselves, and to testify to

the Gospel message of reconciliation to which he dedicated his life.

A priest of the Oratory in his native Goa, Saint Joseph Vaz came to this

country inspired by missionary zeal and a great love of its people. Because

of religious persecution, he dressed as a beggar, performing his priestly

duties in secret meetings of the faithful, often at night. His efforts provided

spiritual and moral strength to the beleaguered Catholic population. He had

a particular desire to serve the ill and suffering. His ministry to the sick

was so appreciated by the king during a smallpox epidemic in Kandy that

he was allowed greater freedom to minister. From Kandy, he could reach

out to other parts of the island. He spent himself in missionary work and

died, exhausted, at the age of fifty-nine, revered for his holiness.

Saint Joseph Vaz continues to be an example and a teacher for many

reasons, but I would like to focus on three. First, he was an exemplary

* Die 14 Ianuarii 2015. 1 Is 52:10. 2 Cf. Mt 28:19. 3 Cf. Acts 20:32.