The Feast of St Frances Xavier Cabrini, Patroness of Immigrants.

"Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it." (Luke 17: 33).

Friday 13th November 2020, 32nd Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Frances Xavier Cabrini. (1850 - 1917). Virgin. Italian. Patroness of Immigrants.

We glorify Jesus when we honor any of His saints. Each of His saints reflects an aspect of the beautiful character of Jesus as encoded in the Scriptures. What aspect of the word of God does St Frances Cabrini personify?
"Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it." (Luke 17: 33).

Before she came to the United States as a missionary to serve immigrants, Frances was terrified of water. But once she heard the call of Christ which came to her through Pope Leo XIII, she plunged into the waters and arrived at New York to start a very fruitful missionary service to immigrants in America. God in His economy of Salvation made immigration a necessity for humanity. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Mary and Jesus were all immigrants. America is populated by immigrants. The life of the immigrant is not easy. At least in the first few years. So God gave a strict order in the Scriptures not to molest these vulnerable: widows, orphans and migrants.

Our saint for today overcame the first obstacle to her vocation: fear of drowning to serve the immigrants. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to serve immigrants in schools, hospitals and parishes. Before she died in 1917, St Frances Xavier Cabrini had traversed the seas about 30 times planting missionary services to the vulnerable in many countries of the world.

Jesus Christ chose St Frances Xavier Cabrini to be a symbol of His tender care for immigrants. This is why the Church honors her today. In honoring her, we glorify Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd of all immigrants.

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