Feast of St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop and Confessor (III Class)
Commemoration at Lauds only: Ss. Martyrs Vitalis and Agricola
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Reflection on Sirach 44:16–27; 45:3–20 and Matthew 25:14–23
“Well done, good and faithful servant… enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matt 25:23)
Today’s liturgy, in honoring St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop and Confessor, presents a moving confluence of Sacred Scripture and hagiography. The Epistle, drawn from the Book of Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), recalls the virtues and covenantal fidelity of the great patriarchs and priests of Israel. The Gospel presents the Parable of the Talents, a lesson in divine stewardship, fruitfulness, and accountability. Together, they invite us to contemplate the life and sanctity of a bishop who was himself both a zealous steward and a faithful son of the Church: St. Charles of Milan.
I. The Memory of the Just is Blessed (Sirach 44:16–27; 45:3–20)
Ecclesiasticus lauds the holy men of old: “Enoch pleased God and was translated into paradise… Noah was found perfect and just… Abraham was the great father of a multitude of nations.” In this sacred lineage, we see a foreshadowing of Christ and His priests. The text proceeds to glorify Moses and Aaron, chosen and adorned by God to serve as mediators for His people.
St. Augustine, commenting on the saints of the Old Law, writes in his City of God (Bk. XVIII, Ch. 47):
“The just men of the former times were saved by the same faith in the Mediator, although He had not yet come in the flesh.”
These patriarchs and priests walked by faith and obedience, not merely by ancestral privilege. They bore the burden of intercession, of sacrificial worship, and of preserving the true knowledge of God amidst idolatry and corruption. It is this sacred lineage that culminates in the eternal High Priest, Christ Jesus, and is perpetuated in His holy bishops.
In St. Charles, we recognize a modern Moses: a man set apart, clothed with holiness, whose every breath was devoted to the sanctification of God’s people. Raised amid the opulence of Renaissance Rome, he forsook privilege to live the Gospel with uncompromising austerity. Like Aaron, he stood “in the presence of princes” (Sir 45:3), yet he feared no man, for he feared God alone.
II. The Parable of the Talents: A Bishop’s Judgment (Matt 25:14–23)
Our Lord’s parable speaks directly to pastors, stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1). The master entrusts his goods to his servants—talents not merely of gold or silver, but of grace, truth, and authority. Those who labor with diligence are rewarded; the slothful servant, who buries the master’s gift, is cast out.
St. Gregory the Great, himself a model bishop, wrote in Homilies on the Gospels (Hom. 9):
“Every man receives a talent, not for himself alone, but for others. The more one is honored with divine gifts, the more he is bound in charity to labor for his neighbor’s benefit.”
St. Charles did not bury his talents. As Archbishop of Milan, he enforced the decrees of the Council of Trent, reformed the clergy, established seminaries, and tirelessly preached the faith. During the plague of 1576, while civil authorities fled, he remained in the city, ministering to the sick, organizing processions of penance, and offering the sacraments at great personal risk. His fidelity echoes the commendation of the Gospel: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
The talents entrusted to Charles were many: noble birth, theological formation, ecclesiastical authority. But it was not these alone that sanctified him. It was his response—his sacrifice, humility, and untiring charity—that made him a faithful steward.
III. The Saints in Their Generation
The commemoration of Ss. Vitalis and Agricola, martyrs of Bologna, reminds us that the Church is adorned not only by bishops in mitres, but by laymen and slaves who loved not their lives even unto death. Agricola, a noble Roman, and Vitalis, his faithful servant, shared not only earthly life but heavenly glory, suffering martyrdom together. Their witness, as St. Ambrose recounts in his sermon for their feast (De exhortatione virginitatis), edified the entire Church of Northern Italy.
Thus the Church in her wisdom today sets before us the hierarchical sanctity of a shepherd, and the humble courage of martyrs—each bearing fruit from the talents entrusted to them. The Spirit breathes where He will, but always in continuity with the Apostolic tradition.
Conclusion: “In the Company of the Saints”
Let us then learn from St. Charles Borromeo, a bishop molded by the spirit of the Fathers, whose life was a living commentary on today’s readings. Let us strive, each according to our state, to imitate his fidelity. As St. John Chrysostom warns in his Homily on Matthew 25:
“Nothing is more grievous than to squander the grace of God. Better to be poor and faithful, than to be rich in gifts and idle.”
May we, by the intercession of St. Charles and the holy martyrs, be found faithful stewards—ready to enter the joy of our Lord when He comes.
Prayer:
O God, who didst renew the Church of Milan through the pastoral zeal and virtue of thy servant St. Charles, grant, we beseech Thee, that shepherds and faithful alike may walk in the same spirit and bring forth fruit unto eternal life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.