The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

""460 THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS.to Christianity effected by St. Francis Xavier inJapan, in the sixteenth century. After the lapseofmany years from the death of St. Francis, when aFrench squadron was permitted to enter the Japanese ports, a native Christian, named Peter, havinglearned that French Priests were on board, put theirfaith to the test, by proposing to them these threequestions: "Are you followers of the great Father inRome ? Do you honor Mary, the Blessed Virgin ?The French Priests having satisHave you wives ?fied their interrogator on these points, and especiallyon the last, Peter and his companionsfell at themissioners feet, exclaiming with delight:Thanks,thanks !they are virgins and true disciples of ourApostle Francis." 1A cotemporary writer has wittily remarked, that"perhaps the most ardent admirer of hymeneal riteawould cheerfully admit that he could not conceiveSt. Paul or St. John starting on a nuptial tour, accompanied by the latest fashions from Athens orEphesus, and the graceful brides whom they weredestined to adorn. They would feel that Christianityitself could not survive such a vision as that.Nor could the imagination picture, in its wildestmoods, the majestic adversary of the Arian emperorattended in his flight up the Nile by Mistress Athanasius,nor St. John Chrysostom escorted in his wanderings through Phrygia by the wife of his bosomarrayed in a wreath of orange-blossoms. Would1Annals of the Propagation of the Faith, March, 1868.