One of my favorite churches in Rome is the minor basilica of
Sant’Ambrogio e Carlo – the basilica of Saint Ambrose and Charles, both natives
of Milan. The semester I studied in Rome, over and over I kept returning to that
basilica. There is a little hidden niche there, behind the main altar and it
was nice quiet place on my way to or from classes or the homeless shelter run
by the missionary sisters of charity. And there in that niche is a reliquary containing
the heart of Saint Charles, today’s saint.
As a seminarian, studying for the priesthood, to pray before
the heart of Saint Charles was very special, he was is the patron saint of
seminarians, and the patron saint of our own diocesan seminary here in
Cleveland. So praying there gave me a connection to home, while at the same
time, directed me to the future. Our patron saints have a wonderful way of
doing that; they help us with the duties and challenges of our life, while
orienting us to the future.
A few years later, I had the opportunity of making
pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Charles in Milan, and celebrating a Mass of
Thanksgiving on the altar above his tomb. Again, very special. For the work and
life of Saint Charles continues to effect our lives still 450 years after his
death. Our modern seminary system, the method of training priest, particularly
their academic and spiritual formation, can be traced to the reforms labored
for by Saint Charles at the Council of Trent.
He worked for such reform because it was his strong belief
that in order to pass on the teachings of Christ faithfully to their flocks,
priests needed to be well-formed in the Gospel and in theology.
The motto of Borromeo Seminary here in Cleveland is
humilitas: humility, the word also found on the coat of arms of St. Charles. The
seminarian needs to be humble in preparing for the priesthood, recognizing that
he is a student and Christ is the master. Intellectual humility, spiritual
humility recognizes that only by the light of Christ are we truly enlightened.
And so, true zeal for truth, true zeal for Christ is always marked by deep
humility. If we aspire to be configured to Christ and to lead others to Christ,
we must be humble. We must humble ourselves in daily prayer, daily study of the
faith, and daily service. It is through humility, that we, as we prayed in the opening prayer, show the face of Christ to the world.
For as we heard in the Gospel, Christ is not simply a king
who rules over his flock, he is a good shepherd who lays down his life for his
flock. As pastor of many souls, reformer of the church, Saint Charles modeled
himself after Christ the good Shepherd, and so must we. for the glory of God and salvation of
souls.
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