Feast of Saint Charles Borromeo

Good morning. Many likely aren’t going to want to continue reading this. Some may read this but not acknowledge it lest their enlightened, non-Christian Facebook “friends” take note. This is because we live in a phony, superficial world; we pretend things are different than they are, and we are forever portraying things differently from what they are. People seem to increasingly lack conviction. We fool ourselves and others into believing that we live more virtuously than we really do. It occurred to me that the steward Jesus talks about in the Gospel today reflects how many of us live our lives today. In case you haven’t had a chance to read it, it is the story of the dishonest steward whom the master commends for his dishonesty. He is praised for being so shrewd. It seems to me that this brief parable amply sums up the world we live in, a world in which people will lie, cheat, betray, and do whatever they feel they need to do to get what they want—wealth, position, fame, or sex. Unlike the George Soros or even the Gaddafis of the world, the more clever ones do so in a superficial manner, a less out-right way, sometimes even coming across as being virtuous. I couldn’t help but think about this in response to today’s Gospel and after reading an article yesterday on recently published research concerning the decline of morality amongst today’s youth. This article published in Our Sunday Visitor was at the very least alarming, and recommended reading for every parent. Now, getting back to today’s Gospel, what struck me was the last line where Jesus notes “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.” If I understand this correctly it seems that Jesus is suggesting that people of this world put more time and energy into pursuing wealth, position, fame, or sex than those of us who proclaim to be Christian pursue the Truth. If we pursued Jesus with the same amount of enthusiasm and commitment as those who pursue the things of this world one has to wonder how differently things would be. As parents, if our focus were more on the things of heaven versus the things of this world would 1 in 3 of our children suggest “they don’t know what makes something morally right or wrong?” Would 54 percent of our children say “they would be happier if they could buy more things?” If our televisions were ‘dead zones’ for Desperate Housewives and other soft-porn primetime viewing would “half of all abortions and half of all STD infections” be occurring in our children “between the ages of 15 and 24?” If we truly lived our faith would “the vast majority” of our children “contribute neither time nor money to charitable causes or community service?” Alarming as these figures are, we should not be at all alarmed as these are but reflections of our own life choices. How different it would be if we were more prudent in choosing the light versus things of this world. Our Saint for today, Saint Charles Borromeo, offers some helpful words in response to our pursuits: “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.” What’s your view? Make a great day!

Today we recall the good life, gifts, and works of Saint Charles Borromeo.