November 4
St Charles Borromeo
Wednesday, week 31 in Ordinary Time — Year II
St Charles Borromeo, born into a noble family in 16th-century Italy, became one of the most significant bishops of his era, closely associated with the Catholic Reformation, also known as the Counter-Reformation. As the Archbishop of Milan, Charles dedicated himself to implementing the reforms of the Council of Trent, working tirelessly to renew clergy, educate the faithful, and promote authentic Christian life. Known for his pastoral zeal, he established seminaries for the education of priests, reformed religious institutions, and was deeply committed to the care of the poor, especially during plagues and famines. Despite the considerable challenges and opposition he faced, St Charles faithfully pursued the renewal of the Church’s life and discipline, emphasizing simplicity, personal conversion, and deep spiritual formation.
St Charles is remembered for his personal austerity, charity, and courage, even at risk to his own life. The Church keeps his memory as a model of episcopal service and holiness, whose legacy shaped not only Milan but the wider Catholic world. His feast invites the faithful to reflect on the vital role of shepherds in the Church and the ongoing call to reform and deepen our Christian witness.
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Questions about St Charles Borromeo (Novus Ordo Missae)
The liturgical day
Mass readings
ReadingPh 2, 12-18
My beloved,
you who have always obeyed,
work out your salvation
with fear and deep respect;
do not do it only when I am present,
but even more now that I am absent.
For it is God who works
to produce in you both will and action,
according to his gracious plan.
Do everything without complaining and without arguing;
thus you will be blameless and pure,
you who are children of God without stain
among a crooked and perverse generation
where you shine like stars in the universe,
holding firm to the word of life.
Then I will be proud of you
when the day of Christ comes:
I will not have run for nothing nor toiled in vain.
And if I must pour out my blood
to add to the sacrifice
that you offer to God through your faith,
I rejoice and I share my joy with all of you.
And you, likewise, rejoice
and share my joy.
– The Word of the Lord.
PsalmPs 26 (27), 1, 4, 13-14
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom should I be afraid?
I have asked one thing of the Lord,
it is all I seek:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the Lord in his beauty
and to seek him in his temple.
I am sure I shall see the Lord's goodness
in the land of the living.
"Hope in the Lord, be strong and take courage;
hope in the Lord."
GospelLc 14, 25-33
At that time,
great crowds were traveling with Jesus;
he turned and said to them:
"If anyone comes to me
and does not prefer me over his father, mother, wife,
children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross
and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you,
wishing to build a tower,
does not first sit down
to calculate the cost
and see if he has enough to complete it?
For if he lays the foundation
and is not able to finish,
all who see it will ridicule him:
'This man began to build
and was not able to finish!'
Or what king,
setting out to encounter another king in battle,
does not first sit down
to see if he is able with ten thousand men
to face the other who comes against him with twenty thousand?
If not,
while the other is still far off,
he sends a delegation to ask for terms of peace.
So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce
all that belongs to him
cannot be my disciple."
– Let us acclaim the Word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org