An angel of charity

I first encountered St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) whose feast day is today before I became a Catholic.  I was particularly struck by the following episode in his life.  In 1576 a famine struck Milan followed by the plague, and many of the wealthy and powerful fled the city. Archbishop Borromeo remained. He used his own fortune to feed the starving people. When that money was spent, he took loans and went deep into debt. He may have fed 70,000 people per day. Eventually, the Archbishop convinced the local governor to return to his post and care for the people.  Later I had occasion to go to his family home on the island of Arona on Lake Maggiore.  He came from a rich and aristocratic family, but on the floor was inscribed a single Latin word – Humilitas (humility).  St Charles was a contemporary of our Teresa and while she was introducing a new spirit into monasteries (though it was actually the ancient spirit of the Church), he was pushing through a reform of the clergy and of church practices.  The driving out of corruption was a critical matter during Borromeo's time. The Protestant Reformation was spreading throughout northern Europe and constantly threatened to move south. The greatest defense against Protestant doctrinal errors and claims against the hierarchy of the Catholic Church was reform and the restoration of integrity to the Catholic Church. Archbishop Borromeo saw this clearly and he made this his mission.  Teresa too was deeply troubled by the growth of Protestantism.

Intercessions:

Rosemarie – multiple afflictions

Bernard – cancer (and prayers for his wife A)

Siena – infant with severe medical issues