Have you voted for life today, considering the will of the Lord of Life? Then be at peace no matter the outcome. "All things work together for good to those who love the Lord and serve according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
It is the feast day of St. Charles Borromeo, one of the leading reformers of the Catholic Church. That, seems to me, to be a sign of hope that no matter what happens today we are to continue to fight for a culture of life and for our holy faith. St. Charles was born during the Protestant Revolution and became a cardinal at a time of serious abuses in the Church (sound familiar?). He assisted in the final deliberations of the Council of Trent and contibuted to the writing of the catechism of the Council. His catechetical efforts were so effective in his diocese (Milan, Ialy) that the protestants were unsuccessful in attempts to evangelize there.
St. Charles saw that many of the problems in the Church were due to the ignorance of the clergy, so he started seminaries and colleges to ensure the proper training of men aspiring to the priesthood. During times of famine and plague, he was a minister of charity, never sparing himself and liberally applying the wealth of the Church, even going into heavy debt.
But natural disasters were not his only challenge. His efforts at reform were resisted. One religious order, the Humiliati (Brothers of Humility), conspired to kill him. Gunshots were fired in his archiepiscopal chapel, but he escaped harm which many considered miraculous.
Having poured himself out as a libation for his people, St. Charles died November 3, 1584 at the age of only 46. To the end he was a model of his Lord, the Good Shepherd. Let us ask St. Charles to intercede for our Church and our country, and especially to pray for the hierarchy in the United States that they might put the common good of their people first. St. Charles Borromeo, pray for us.
