St. Charles Borromeo

I admit that we are all weak, but if we want help, the Lord God has given us the means to find it easily. One priest may wish to lead a good, holy life, as he knows he should. He may wish to be chaste and to reflect heavenly virtues in the way he lives. Yet he does not resolve to use suitable means, such as penance and prayer, avoiding evil discussions and harmful and dangerous acquaintanceships.	Sumus quidem omnes debiles (fateor); sed tradidit nobis media Dominus Deus, quibus, si velimus, facile juvare possimus. Vellet quidem Sacerdos ille, quam a se requiri agnoscit, vitae integritatem habere, continens esse, et Angelicos (ut par est) mores referre; sed non deliberat ad hoc media suscipere, jejunare, orare, fugere malorum conversationes, ac noxias et periculosas familiaritates.
Another priest complains that as soon as he comes into church to pray the office or to celebrate Mass, a thousand thoughts fill his mind and distract him from God. But what was he doing in the sacristy before he came out for the office or for Mass? How did he prepare? What means did he use to collect his thoughts and to remain recollected?	Conqueritur ille, quod cum Chorum intrat at psallendum, cum ad celebrandam Missam se confert, mille statim ejus animo occurrunt, quae illum a Deo distrahunt; ^{[p. 85]} sed antequam in Chorum accedat hic, aut ad Missam, quid fecit in Sacrario? quomodo se disposuit? quae ad attentionem fervandam media sumpsit et adhibuit?
Indeed, secular conversation is mostly vain - to say nothing of nothing of threats, slander and worse!	Certe vana plerumque colloquia secularia, et utinam non etiam jurgia, detractiones et pejora!
How, then can the soul be helped to attentively persevere in Divine Praises?	Sclicet, his animus juvatur ad perseverandum attente in Divinis Laudibus?
You are doubtless saddened - saddened, indeed, before all of Heaven, if you offer God excuses for your distractions:	Erras profecto miser, et toto Coelo erras, si te execusationem apud Deum a distractionibus tuis,
which could provide, should you wish to find them, for those who come unprepared to prayer,	quibus providere poteras si voluisses, inventurum existimas; qui enim imparatus ad orationem accedit,
for do you not know that it is the Holy Spirit Himself who says is the any who seeks to be like God? [Eccl. 18.23] ...	an nescitis quoniam ipse Spiritus Sanctus dixit est quasi qui tentat Deum? [Eccl. 18.23] ...
O priest, you leave the choir:	Egrederis e Choro Sacerdos;
Would you like me to teach you how to grow from virtue to virtue and how, if you are already attentive at choir, you can be even more attentive next time, and so give God more pleasing worship?	vis te doceam, quomodo proficias de virtute in virtutem [Ps 83.8]; et, si jam in Choro attentus fuisti, quomodo alia vice attentior sis futurus, et obsequium. tuum Deo magis acceptum ?
Listen, and I will tell you. If a tiny spark of God’s love already burns within you, do not expose it to the wind, for it may get blown out. Keep the stove tightly shut so that it will not lose its heat and grow cold. In other words, avoid distractions as well as you can. Stay quiet with God. Do not spend your time in useless chatter.	Audi, quid dico: Si Divini amoris igniculus aliquis in te accensus jam est, noli illum statim prodere, noli in ventum exponere; occlusum tene clibanum ne frigescat, et calorem amittat: Fuge hoc est, quantum potes, distractiones; remane cum Deo colletus, vana colloquia devita,
and thus for the greater part of the day you will have the power to bear [spiritual fruit] within; and the rest will be in the Lord Jesus.	et sic majores in dies vires habebis ad pariendum in te, et in ceteris Dominum Jesum.
Otherwise, you will neither be able to summon the means nor obtain the strength and you will remain forever barren: and though you conceive in your womb, you will not be able to bear - but only to miscarry.	Alioqui si media non adhibueris , nisi vires procuraveris , semper sterilis eris; et licet concipias in utero, abortum tamen facies, et parturire non poteris.
If teaching and preaching is your job, then study diligently and apply yourself to whatever is necessary for doing the job well. Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head.	Tui muneris est predicare , et docere ? Stude , et iis incumbe , quae ad munus hoc rite peragendum sunt necesaria: fac ipfe in primis vita et moribus praedices ; ne te aliud dicentem, aliud vero facientem videntes, super verbis tuis subsannantes, huc et illuc caput moveant.
Are you in charge of a parish? If so, do not neglect the parish of your own soul, do not give yourself to others so completely that you have nothing left for yourself. You have to be mindful of your people without becoming forgetful of yourself.	Curam geris animarum ? Noli idcirco tui ipsius curam negligere , nec te tam liberaliter ceteris tribuas, ut tui nihil tibi supersit; nam et te animarum , quibus praees, meminisse quiden oportet, ita tamen, ut tui non obliviscaris.
My brothers, you must realize that for us churchmen nothing is more necessary than meditation. We must meditate before, during and after everything we do. The prophet says: I will pray, and then I will understand. When you administer the sacraments, meditate on what you are doing. When you celebrate Mass, reflect on the sacrifice you are offering.	Intelligite fratres, nil aeque Ecclesiasticis omnibus Viris esse necessarium, ac est Oratio mentalis, actiones nostras omnes praecedens, concomitans, et subsequens. Psallam inquit Propheta , et intelligam (Ps 100.2). Si Sacramenta ministras , o frater , meditare quid facis; si Missam celebras, meditare quid offers;
When you pray the office, think about the words you are saying and the Lord to whom you are speaking. When you take care of your people, meditate on the Lord’s blood that has washed them clean. In this way, all that you do becomes a work of love.	si psallis in Choro, meditare cui; et quid loqueris ; si animas regis, meditare quonam sanguine sint lavatae; et. omnia vestra sic in caritate fient (1Cor 16.14).
This is the way we can easily overcome the countless difficulties we have to face day after day, which, after all, are part of our work: [in meditation] we find the strength to bring Christ to birth in ourselves and in other men.	Sic^{[p. 86]} difficultates omnes, quas innumeras in dies experiamur necesse est (in hoc siquidem positi sumus), facile vincere poterimus. Si vires habebimus parturiendi Christum et in nobis, et in aliis.
Thus we imitate Paul , who never left anything undone that might serve to procure the salvation of souls:	Sic Paulum imitabimur, qui nihim umquam omisit, quod facere potuerit ad animarum procurandam salutem,
thus, with the most blessed Augustine, standing before the awesome judgment of Christ, together with all the angels and saints, to render an account	Sic cum Augustino Sanctissimo, quando coram feverissimo Judice Christo, astantibus Angelis omnibus et Sanctis, ad rationem reddendam vocabimur,
with the greatest confidence of soul, our joyful hearts will dare to boldly proclaim:	maxima cum animi fiducia, et cordis nostri laetitia intrepide dicere poterimus:
O Lord, you know what I have said, you know how I have not kept silent you know how I have spoken from my soul you know how I have wept when I spoke and they did not listen.	Domine scis, quia dixi scis quia non tacui; scis quia ex animo dixi; scis quia flevi,cum dicerem, et non audirer.
Augustine, Sermon 137 on Words of the Gospel of John, 10	[Augustine, Sermo 137 on Words of the Gospel of John, 10]

I admit that we are all weak, but if we want help, the Lord God has given us the means to find it easily. One priest may wish to lead a good, holy life, as he knows he should. He may wish to be chaste and to reflect heavenly virtues in the way he lives. Yet he does not resolve to use suitable means, such as penance, prayer, the avoidance of evil discussions and harmful and dangerous friendships. Another priest complains that as soon as he comes into church to pray the office or to celebrate Mass, a thousand thoughts fill his mind and distract him from God. But what was he doing in the sacristy before he came out for the office or for Mass? How did he prepare? What means did he use to collect his thoughts and to remain recollected?

Would you like me to teach you how to grow from virtue to virtue and how, if you are already recollected at prayer, you can be even more attentive next time, and so give God more pleasing worship? Listen, and I will tell you. If a tiny spark of God’s love already burns within you, do not expose it to the wind, for it may get blown out. Keep the stove tightly shut so that it will not lose its heat and grow cold. In other words, avoid distractions as well as you can. Stay quiet with God. Do not spend your time in useless chatter.

If teaching and preaching is your job, then study diligently and apply yourself to whatever is necessary for doing the job well. Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head.

Are you in charge of a parish? If so, do not neglect the parish of your own soul, do not give yourself to others so completely that you have nothing left for yourself. You have to be mindful of your people without becoming forgetful of yourself.

My brothers, you must realize that for us churchmen nothing is more necessary than meditation. We must meditate before, during and after everything we do. The prophet says: I will pray, and then I will understand. When you administer the sacraments, meditate on what you are doing. When you celebrate Mass, reflect on the sacrifice you are offering. When you pray the office, think about the words you are saying and the Lord to whom you are speaking. When you take care of your people, meditate on the Lord’s blood that has washed them clean. In this way, all that you do becomes a work of love.

This is the way we can easily overcome the countless difficulties we have to face day after day, which, after all, are part of our work: in meditation we find the strength to bring Christ to birth in ourselves and in other men.

This Webpage was created for a workshop held at Saint Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo, California in 2006....x.... .