Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Charles Borromeo, a 16th century Cardinal whose sanctity helped to lead the Church through a period of great reform. Below, Rozann Carter reflects upon the life of this holy man.
Today is the Feast Day of St. Charles Borromeo. St. Charles was a prominent figure in the Church during the time of the Council of Trent (1545-1563), a period of great reform within the Church that was motivated both by internal impetus and as a response to the Protestant Reformation. After the council, Charles took up residence in the city of Milan to serve as Cardinal in the Archdiocese.
Charles was born of nobility, a member of the powerful Borromeo and Medici families of 16th Century Milan. His uncle, in fact, was Cardinal de Medici, who was elected pope in 1559 as Pius IV. Because of this royal pedigree, St. Charles’ appointed position as Cardinal of Milan did not preclude his participation in a life of extravagance. However, in response to the reforms of Trent, Charles committed himself instead to a life of voluntary poverty and ascetic elimination of temptations in order to more fully embody the Councils’ great reforms and decrees. His attitude is evident in his advice to his brother priests and bishops at that time, “Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head"...