St Francis Xavier has just arrived at a new land with a new culture he has never encountered before. He is there to spread the word of God.

He is standing on a beach, alone, as he watches the boat head back across the stormy seas.

He prays and blesses the sailors with safe passage.

The painting is set at night but the image is not dark and heavy with shadows, but light and welcoming using lighter tones to lift the mood.

 The brightness also shows God’s grace is ever-present in our lives.

The Night Sky

The moon is eclipsed to represent the difficulties the Catholic church was experiencing in Europe at the time.

The stars in the middle of the sky represent some of the light bearers and Holy people in St Francis’s life, like St Ignatius of Loyola. Saints and angels are light bearers from above. Mother Mary is referred to as the Star of the Sea or the Morning Star, she leads us to Christ just as the star led the wise men to baby Jesus.

In the sky we see the Southern Cross as a reference to the future, the sky is brighter around this indicating a new horizon opening up.

The Sea

The sea is stormy. 

It has a whimsical appearance and playful colours. It is not dark and scary looking. 

Believing in Christ brings us spiritual clarity.

Here St Francis Xavier sees the storm for what it is … passing. 

He is not afraid when following Christ taking him from a safe harbour and out onto unchartered water with angry seas. 

Let us aspire to have faith like his.

The waves are in spirals and loose koru shapes.

The Boat

St Francis travelled on boats for his missions. Often the journeys took months at a time.

He travelled through lots of treacherous waters.

On the sail, there is the outline of the scallop shell. The shell represents the pilgrim and the transformation that can occur on a pilgrimage. 

It is used to symbolise the Christians’ pilgrimage towards heaven. 

The shell is also a symbol used to infer baptism, it was often used in the administration of baptism, it was used to pour the water from.

St Francis baptised hundreds of thousands of people and is often shown in paintings holding a scallop shell.

The Halo and the Stole

The halo around St Francis’s head and the stole he wears are strongly connected. 

They are used to illustrate that his sanctity was linked to priesthood. He said ‘yes’ to God’s divine plan and was ordained as a priest. 

The bright colours represent the colourful adventure that St Francis went on when he followed God’s plan.

 It was not always comfortable, but exciting, challenging and even dangerous.

The Face and Hands

St Francis Xavier’s facial expression conveys peace, calm, and a deep serenity. 

His left hand shows that he has Jesus with him. His grip is so tight around his crucifix that his knuckles have gone white. Christ on the cross is his refuge, strength, reason, peace and courage to walk into the unknown.

His right arm and hand are raised in a gesture of peace, goodwill and blessing. It is with this arm that he baptised thousands of people. He once wrote that his arm was so sore he could barely lift it after baptising 30,000 people in India.

Don’t be afraid to take risks, face dangers and sacrifice comforts for the kingdom of heaven.

Believe in the Power of God to work through our gifts and talents.

Just do what needs to be done and leave the results to God.