Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
With the way the calendar has fallen this year, our Sunday celebrations have been a bit different from how they usually are. Indeed, even this weekend, we celebrate the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, something that most of us probably aren’t aware of, let alone celebrate on an annual basis. Because of this, we are thrown off from our usual festivities for our patron saint, St. Charles Borromeo. We still did something, don’t get me wrong, with daily Mass and our school community on November 4th . Unfortunately, we weren’t able to transfer the Feast Day celebration to the weekend Masses like we typically do.
That said, I do believe that it’s important and worthwhile to reflect upon the life and legacy of our saint. Charles Borromeo was in many ways, a man from a vastly different time and place than ours. In the 1500’s, Italy wasn’t yet a unified country, but a loose amalgamation of separate sovereignties that shared a rough language together (though even that’s debatable given the dialects). He came from great wealth, the Borromeo’s being among the most influential and wealthy in the area of Milan. His career may be considered by some as a case of nepotism, with being named a cardinal at age 22 by Pope Pius IV, his uncle, but he was a hard-working and pious young man, being one of only 3 canonized saints in history who were nephew-cardinals. A staunch defender of the faith, but also a strong reformer, St. Charles is one of the leading figures in the Counter-Reformation. And in much of this, there isn’t much to grab onto, in terms of relatability.
But there is a significant story from the life of St. Charles that does have some deep resonance with what we as a society face today, even if it might not seem so at first glance. Late in the life of St. Charles, a famine and then a plague struck Milan. He was the Archbishop at the time, a position of considerable prestige and authority. When the city and the surrounding area were struggling, many of the other major figures in government and society opted to flee. But not St. Charles. Instead, he turned towards those in need, using his own personal resources and wealth, and ending up feeding between 60,000 and 70,000 people, until he went into debt. He may have been a gifted statesman, theologian, and reformer, but personally, it’s his outpouring of care and charity to those in need that stands out the most.
Right now, there are brothers and sisters around us who are hungry and in need. Putting politics aside, there are many who are struggling to feed themselves and their loved ones. And while I’m certainly no St. Charles, I do believe our parish community has the opportunity to respond to the need in front of us. Whether it’s supporting the St. Vincent de Paul Society, donating to Epworth Food Pantry or Catholic Charities, or other ways to care, may we all follow the example of our patron saint.
Peace and Goodness,
Fr. Dan
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