#St. Francis Xavier:
Letter from India, to the Society of Jesus at Rome, 1543.
"The fruit that is reaped by the baptism of infants, as well as by the instruction of children and others, is quite incredible.
1/n
Letter from India, to the Society of Jesus at Rome, 1543.
"The fruit that is reaped by the baptism of infants, as well as by the instruction of children and others, is quite incredible.
1/n
These children, I trust heartily, by the grace of God, will be much better than their fathers.
They show an ardent love for the Divine law, and an extraordinary zeal for learning our holy religion and imparting it to others.
2/n
They show an ardent love for the Divine law, and an extraordinary zeal for learning our holy religion and imparting it to others.
2/n
"Their hatred for idolatry is marvellous.
They get into feuds with the heathen about it, and whenever their own parents practise it, they reproach them and come off to tell me at once.
3/n
They get into feuds with the heathen about it, and whenever their own parents practise it, they reproach them and come off to tell me at once.
3/n
Whenever I hear of any act of idolatrous worship, I go to the place with a large band of these children, who very soon load the devil with a greater amount of insult and abuse than he has lately received of honor and worship from their parents, relations, and acquaintances.
The children run at the idols, upset them, dash them down, break them to pieces, spit on them, trample on them, kick them about, and in short heap on them every possible outrage."
[This is their Saint and we are the suckers, who still very determinedly continue to be suckers]
[This is their Saint and we are the suckers, who still very determinedly continue to be suckers]
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