Saint Charles Borromeo is one of the most celebrated saints that lived
in the 16th century. By virtue of his prodigious intellect, unassailable
belief and deeply held devotion, he made the Church glorious in the
face of her enemies. Here are six insights on faith and love of God from
this revered disciple of Christ.
If a tiny spark of God’s love already burns within you, do not expose it to the wind, for it may get blown out... Stay quiet with God. Do not spend your time in useless chatter... Do not give yourself to others so completely that you have nothing left for yourself.
If we wish to make any progress in the service of God we must begin every day of our life with new eagerness. We must keep ourselves in the presence of God as much as possible and have no other view or end in all our actions but the divine honor.
If teaching and preaching is your job, then study diligently and apply yourself to whatever is necessary for doing the job well. 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.
Such is the nature of faith that the greater are the obstacles it encounters, the more ardent it becomes.
We must meditate before, during and after everything we do. The prophet says: 'I will pray, and then I will understand.' This is the way we can easily overcome the countless difficulties we have to face day after day, which, after all, are part of our work. In meditation we find the strength to bring Christ to birth in ourselves and in others.
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?