By Purushottam Nayak
Kandhamal, Feb 1, 2020: I was lucky to be among 32 priests from Odisha’s Kandhamal who recently undertook a pilgrimage to Bom Jesu Basilica in Goa that houses the relics of Saint Francis Xavier, one of daring missionaries of all times.
The January 17-21 trip has strengthened my faith and emboldened my resolve to work as a missionary in my native place, a persecuted land.
We were guided by Pilar Father Norman Almeida, a moral theologian.
I was amazed to see the beauty and architectural grandeur of the churches and cathedrals in Old Goa, built centuries ago, but still in use.
But the most exhilarating experience was the visit to the Francis Xavier’s relics. The saint has become an example and an inspiration for my missionary life.
We were in Goa mainly for a five-day annual retreat at Fr. Agnel’s Church inside the Pilar monastery, Goa Velha
We offered Mass at Bom Jesu Basilica. The peace and serenity that I experienced has given me extra enthusiasm to work for the people of God. Thousands visit and venerate the great saint daily. Receiving blessings from God through the saint has strengthened my call of priesthood.
I am especially inspired by the way Saint Francis Xavier loved children and made Jesus known to them.
This insight will help my work among children, youth, parents, young and old survivors of anti-Christian violence that Kandhamal witnessed in 2007 and 2008.
I can still sense among them the agony, the pain, the suffering and the horror of inhuman activity of the persecution.
I felt safe as a Catholic Priest in Goa. I found the people there religious and hospitable. They respect all religions.
A pilgrimage is a spiritual journey, God drawing a person to Himself. I felt invited in Goa. My pilgrimage helped me leave behind whatever had been hindering me to get closer to God.
I recall what Oope Francis had said, “Pilgrimage is a symbol of life.”
“Father, I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have let go of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ…I continue my journey (pilgrimage) in hope that I may possess (him) since I have been taken hold of by (him)…forgetting what lies behind but straining to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the heavenly prize which beckons, God’s call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:8-14.
An Chinese proverb says, “He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left.” It is so much true in my case. The Goa pilgrimage has helped find peace and a greater awareness of God’s presence in my life. It has changed the way I look at the world and fellow humans now.