SAINT CHARLES BORROMEO, (1538-1584)
Archbishop of Milan
Saint Charles Borromeo was born in 1538 in the castle of Arona on the borders of Lake Major, fourteen miles from Milan. He was the son of Count Gilbert Borromeo, a descendant of one of the most ancient families of Lombardy, very famous for its great men. The Count was known for his almsgiving and his rigorous fasts; it was his custom never to eat a meal without first giving alms. The Countess, Charles' mother, was also exceptionally virtuous. Their family was composed of two sons and four daughters, all of whom manifested in their lives the splendor of their Christian heritage. Their maternal uncle, John Angelus of Medici, became Pope Pius IV. Charles was clearly destined for the ecclesiastical vocation; all his preferences in study made it clear. In the Church's account for today, it is said that Charles' future pre-eminent sanctity was foreshown by a heavenly light shining at night over the room where he was born.
When Charles was barely 22 years of age, Pope Pius IV called him to be Secretary of State, shortly afterwards created him Cardinal and archbishop of Milan. He seemed to take these responsibilities very seriously and with gusto. His resolve, on becoming a prelate of the Church, had been: "I will either be no Cardinal and Archbishop, or I will endeavor to gain such virtues as are in accordance with my dignity." And it may be truly said that the Saint possessed, in an eminent degree, all those virtues which a prelate of such high standing ought to possess. He held many councils, and made the most wholesome regulations to exterminate abuses and to restore Christian morals. Of his revenues as bishop nothing went to his relatives, but all to promote the honor of God and to assist the poor. When the Pope died, his successor was greatly inspired by the Holy Ghost, and not by the dictates of flesh and blood. Sixty years had passed since the heretic Luther, and many problems were being experienced by all of Europe. Catholics were being forced out of power.
He was a perfect model of a watchful shepherd. Inexpressibly great were the pains he took to drive away' from his flock the heretics who, at that period, wandered about like ravenous wolves; and to keep his own in the fold of Christ, the true Church. He preached in several churches, not only on Sundays and Feast-days, but also during the week. He admonished and instructed the people in their own houses, visited the sick and comforted the dying. He strove to uproot the bad customs which prevailed at the carnival. He visited his entire diocese, accompanied by several priests. There was not a town or village to which he did not go. Everywhere he renewed the churches, preached, gave instructions, administered the holy Sacraments, and exhorted all to lead a Christian life.
Charles saw how, in contest with a heresy which claimed the name of 'Reformation' while it let loose every passion, the Church might take occasion from the struggle to strengthen her discipline, elevate the morals of her children, and manifest to the eyes of all her indefectible sanctity. This thought had already, under Popes Paul III and Julius III, led to the convocation of the Council of Trent, and inspired its dogmatic definitions and reformatory decrees. At this great Council, Charles was himself the intermediary between between the Pope and the Council. His maxim during this time was 'to treat of the interests of Jesus Christ in the spirit of Jesus Christ.' His program was to set down the ordinances of Trent, its living form; the model of its practical application in the whole Church, demonstrating the Church's power over the entire world.
His instructions included the Liturgy, the administrations of the Sacraments, and most notably the celebrated instruction to Confessors; ordinances concerning the archiepiscopal court, the chancellorship, canonical visitations; regulations for the archbishops's domestic family, and is vicars and officials of all ranks, for the parish priests and their meetings, for the Oblates he had founded, the seminaries, schools, and confraternities; edicts and decrees, and lastly various tables, and complete forms of administrative acts, so drawn up that nothing remains but to insert names and dates. It is a truly pastoral encyclopedia.
Charles had said that: "Priests are divine instruments, upon whom depends the welfare of the world; their abundance is the riches of all, their default is the ruin of nations." And, once he passed this on to Bishops who were assembled, and his language became vehement. (Wish we had more Bishops like him) He said: "Let us fear, lest the angered Judge say to us: If you were the enlighteners of My Church. why have you closed your eyes? If you pretended to be shepherds of the flock, why have you suffered it to stray? Salt of the earth, you have lost your savor. Light of the world, they that sat in darkness and the shadow of death have never seen you shine. You were apostles; who, then, put your apostolic firmness to the test, since you have done nothing but seek to please men? You were the mouth of the Lord, and you have made that mouth dumb. If you allege in excuse that the burden was beyond your strength, why did you make it the object of your ambitious intrigues?
Although the Cardinal was still in his best years, he resigned himself to the will of the Almighty, when an inner voice told him that his death was near. He made a pilgrimage to Mount Varallo, where he spent 15 days in the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius, under the direction of a priest of the Society of Jesus, whom he had chosen as his confessor. He cleansed his soul, which had never been stained by a mortal sin, by a general confession. Feeling that he was attacked by the disease which he knew would release him from earth, he returned to Milan where he arrived on the second day of November. On the third, he received the holy Sacraments with great devotion, and desiring to die like a penitent, he had himself laid upon haircloth strewed with ashes. Continually praying, he remained in this penitential position until the third hour after sundown, when, raising his eyes to the image of the Savior, he gave his soul to his Maker, in the 47th year of his life. (Note: did you notice that he has done all of this work in the space of 24 years?)
It would require a whole volume to relate all the miracles which the Almighty wrought to honor this untiring servant, as well during his life as after his death. The splendid example of his virtues is sufficient to merit our highest esteem. I will only add that the holy Cardinal, after his death, appeared to one of his friends, radiant with heavenly glory, and said : "I am happy."
He was by far one of the most influential people at the Council of Trent, and we should all be grateful for his fortitude and perseverence. (Too bad the current administration seems that this Council is 'in the past', and therefore needs to be updated)
As a footnote, this post might seem a little late for the usual ones. This is due to the fact that Michigan had a day of 74 degrees Fahrenheit, so it was a good day to be outside. Somehow, a golf course was beckoning me there, and I was very weak. But Happy!
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