As we should already know by now, usually, some of the greatest saints are forged during hard times. This month’s saint was born during a time when the Catholic Church was struggling with internal corruption and the rise of Protestantism. There were Catholic leaders who were not living up to their calling and as a result, people turned to Protestantism as the answer. Yet, it was faithful Catholics like St. Charles Borromeo who devoted their lives to clean up the Church so it could remain a beacon of truth for the world.
Charles was born on October 02, 1538 at the castle of Arona on Lake Maggiore near Milan, Italy. His father was the Count of Arona and his mother a member of the famous House of Medici. He was the third of six children. At the age of 12, the young Count Charles dedicated himself to a life of service to the Church. His uncle gave to him the family income from the Benedictine abbey of Saints Gratinian and Felinus. He insisted to his father that he could only keep the money required for his education and training to serve the Church. The rest of the funds were to be distributed to the poor of the Church. Charles did not indulge himself and imposed severe penances on himself.
Charles suffered from a speech impediment so people just assumed that he was mentally slow, when in reality, he was quite brilliant. Despite this challenge, he worked hard to overcome it and he managed to impress his teachers. Not only was he diligent, he was very exact and thorough in his conduct. Charles was only a teenager when the responsibility for his household fell to him because his father had died. He continued in his studies and earned a doctorate in canon and civil law. He was appointed cardinal and archbishop of Milan the next year by his uncle, Pope Pius IV. He served as an important advisor for his uncle and had many duties in the Vatican, but chief among them was to be the pope’s secretary of state.
Charles played a big role in finishing the Council of Trent, which was called to answer the errors of Protestantism. In fact, he believed that it was so important that he pushed to continue the third and final phase of the Council after it was delayed for ten years. He was in charge of formulating decrees to enact the results and helping form the catechism of 1566. Charles led by example by showing the other bishops how to implement it in their own diocese. He was in charge of Milan, Italy which was the largest Catholic diocese at the time and it was also rife with corruption.
Luckily, Charles was stubborn and an idealistic reformer. He believed the best way to counter the rise of Protestantism was to first remove the beam from the eyes of many Catholic leaders. He began by eradicating the sale of indulgences, reforming monasteries, and funding more clerical academies. But he was not alone! In fact, he worked together with St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Philip Neri, and other reformers to do this.
There was a great plague that struck Italy from 1576-78m where many of the rich and powerful fled the city. Charles was one of the few that stayed and gave away much of his own wealth to care for the sick and hungry. When his funds would run out, he would take out loans and go deep into debt. It was estimated that he fed around 70,000 people per day. He died on November 03, 1584 due to work and stress. He is the patron of bishops, cardinals, seminarians, seminary leaders, catechists, and those suffering from stomach problems.
Here is a good prayer to help you faithfully do God’s will:
Almighty God, you have generously made known to human beings
the mysteries of your life through Jesus Christ your Son in the Holy Spirit.
Enlighten my mind to know these mysteries which your Church treasures and teaches.
Move my heart to love them and my will to live in accord with them.
Give me the ability to teach this Faith to others without pride, without ostentation, and without personal gain.
Let me realize that I am simply your instrument for bringing others
to the knowledge of the wonderful things you have done for all your creatures.
Help me to be faithful to this task that you have entrusted to me.
Amen.
Be awesome and blossom 🌱
By: anh Daniel
Comments