Is there an area in your life that has become unproductive and stagnant? - Daily Reflections November 4,2015

NEVER STOP GROWING

 

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Charles Borromeo (October 2, 1538 – November 3, 1584). To say that St. Charles Borromeo is an important figure in the growth, purification and maturation of the Church is an understatement. A saint and a cardinal, he is one of only four bishops commended by the Catechism of the Catholic Church to be influential in the reforms of the Council of Trent in the 16th century and in the systematization of catechesis (CCC #9). He worked during the period of the Counter- Reformation and was a key figure for significant reforms in the Catholic Church, most importantly the founding of seminaries for the continuous formation and education of priests. The legacy of Charles Borromeo is the spirit of Ecclesia Semper Reformanda (A Church Always in Reform).

       This feast strikes an intimate chord in my heart, as Charles Borromeo is the patron saint of the seminary where I studied for the priesthood and where I now stay as a resident professor and formator.

       I always get sentimental when I attend the priestly ordinations of my former students. Most of them entered the seminary fresh from high school and I’ve seen most of them transform from starry-eyed lads dreaming of the priesthood to passionate young men willing to give themselves for the Gospel. More surprising and fulfilling is the fact that the challenge of formation continues even in the priesthood itself. Even students who discovered another vocation occasionally visit to thank the seminary for the seed of formation that continues to blossom even beyond the province of the priestly ministry.

       If you want to celebrate today’s feast, please do not just greet San Carlos Seminary a “Happy Feast Day!” Pray that the grace of formation, growth and constant purification — things Charles Borromeo passionately worked on for the Church — may be a grace in your personal life as well.

       Don’t stop growing. Don’t stop developing. Be semper reformanda. Fr. Joel Jason

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Is there an area in your life that has become unproductive and stagnant?

 

Send the Spirit of renewal in me, O Lord; may I always strive to be “more.” Amen.