Through his vast experience and knowledge, St. Charles Borromeo left us an enormous array of wisdom and practical advice. 

By Gaudium Press, English Edition

Newsdesk (20/01/2022 9:03 AM, Gaudium Press) St. Charles Borromeo, is known as the father of the poor. Born in Italy in 1538, the Saint occupied high ecclesiastical positions, becoming Archbishop of Milan and Cardinal.

One of his main concerns was the formation of priests. St. Charles even dismissed some unworthy priests, replacing them with people who restored the Faith and the customs of the people.

He was also a close friend of several saints, such as St. Francis  Borgia, St. Philip Neri, St. Pius V, St. Felix of Cantalice, and St. Andrew Avellino. St. Charles even ministered First Holy Communion to St. Louis Gonzaga.

Below is a selection of Saint Charles Borromeo’s thoughts and phrases on spirituality and Catholic doctrine:

1 – “Prayer is the beginning, the progress and the complement of all virtues”.

2 – “Whoever complains that when entering the choir for the psalmody, when going to celebrate Mass, immediately a thousand thoughts assail his mind and distract him from God, should be asked: before going to choir or Mass, what did you do in the sacristy? how did you prepare yourself? what means did you choose and employ to set your attention?”

3 – “The Rosary is the most divine of devotions.”

4 – “We are all weak, I confess; but the Lord God has given us means with which, if we wish, we can be strengthened with ease.”

5 – “If you administer the sacraments, O brother, meditate on what you do; if you celebrate Mass, meditate on what you offer; if you sing psalms in choir, meditate on Whom and on what you are saying; if you direct souls, meditate on the Blood that has washed them, so all that is yours should be done in charity”.

6 – “Your mission is to preach and teach? Study and focus on what is necessary to exercise this task well. First of all, preach with your life and behavior. Don’t let it happen that they see you saying one thing and doing another. People will make fun of your words, shaking their heads.”

7 – “Are you a healer of souls? Do not neglect to take care of yourself, nor give so generously to others that you have nothing left for you. In fact, you should remember the souls that you lead, without forgetting your own”.

8 – “Just as Christ came into this world only once, clothed in our flesh, He is also ready to come again, at any moment, to dwell spiritually in our hearts with the profusion of His graces, was long as we do not resist Him.”

9 – “Souls are won with the knees”.

10 – “It is impossible for you to keep yourself chaste if you are not continually vigilant over yourself, because negligence brings about the loss of chastity very easily.

Prayer of Saint Charles Borromeo to One’s Guardian Angel

My good Guardian Angel, I do not know when and in what manner I will die. It is possible that I will be taken suddenly, or that before my last breath I will find myself deprived of my mental capacities. And there are so many things that I would want to say to God, on the threshold of Eternity…  So today, with the full freedom of my will, I come to ask, my Guardian Angel that you speak for me in this dreadful moment. You will say, then, to the Lord:

– That I want to die in the Holy Roman Catholic Church, in the bosom of which all the saints died after Jesus Christ, and outside of which there is no salvation;

– That I ask for the grace to participate in the infinite merits of my Redeemer, and that I wish to die resting my lips on the Cross that was washed with His Blood;

– That I hate and detest my sins that have offended Jesus, and that out of love for Him, I forgive my enemies, as I myself wish to be forgiven;

– That I accept my death as God’s will, and that, with all confidence, I surrender myself to His loving and most Sacred Heart, hoping in all His mercy;

– That in my inexpressible desire to go to Heaven, I am ready to suffer whatever His sovereign Justice may please to inflict upon me.

-That I love Him before all things, above all things and for His own sake; that I wish and hope to love Him with the Elect, His Angels and the Blessed Mother during all eternity.

Do not refuse, oh my Holy Guardian Angel, to be my interpreter with God and to expose before Him that these are my sentiments and my will. Amen.

Compiled by Roberta MacEwan