Our country is currently awaiting the results of an election. It’s also in the midst of a spiritual battle. Yesterday we heard Jesus say that He invites all people, even the ones in the “highways and hedgerows.” Often people think that being invited is enough. They forget that we have work to do. Our Gospel today talks about the need for preparation for war.
Today speaking to the same crowd, Jesus says that we must have a battle plan. War is gruesome; it’s hard. The main goal, of course, in our spiritual lives, is “don’t get beat.” That means that we need to look at what the fight is about, where it is happening, who is involved. Then we need to make sure we can win this battle. I mean, sometimes a fight is easy to win. Sometimes it’s impossible with our current tactics. So we have to regroup, refocus, maybe even avoid specific conflicts.
What this means for us is knowing how to avoid near occasions of sin. When we start to say, “I got this,” forgetting that Jesus is the hero in our war, and begin to overestimate our own ability to win, that we fail the most. Sometimes the best battle strategy is not to fight but to flee. Why would we run if Christ is with us? When sin is trying to trap us, we run TO Christ.
That’s why Jesus says in the Gospel that our love for Him has to be greater than even the love for those people in our families. He’s not telling us to hate anyone but reminding us that the cost of the cross is entirely reliant on Him. In the end, while we should work for social justice and reform in the world around us, the spiritual battle is the most important one.
Our Saint for today gives us a great example of how we are to do that. Saint Charles Borromeo said that he had to be the first to provide a better model for people so that they would want to convert. He knew that he needed to make a difference in the world. The government was corrupt, and people were dying from the plague. His example, though, was to start with himself.
Charles took the initiative in giving a good example. He allotted most of his income to charity, forbade himself all luxury, and imposed severe penances upon himself. He sacrificed wealth, high honors, esteem, and influence to become poor. During the plague and famine of 1576, Borromeo tried to feed 60,000 to 70,000 people daily. To do this, he borrowed large sums of money that required years to repay. Whereas the civil authorities fled at the height of the plague, he stayed in the city, ministered to the sick and the dying, helping those in want. Borromeo saw Christ in his neighbor and knew that charity done for the least of his flock was charity done for Christ. In the darkness of fear and despair, he pointed to Jesus. He was a light in a world of darkness.
He fought the spiritual battle by seeking Jesus in the poor, in those most in need. Because the battlefield for our immortal soul is inside of our hearts, but the results of each battle should be evident to the world by our thoughts, words, and deeds. Saint Charles fought his battles by addressing his weakness first.
I think that’s our challenge for today as well. In a world that seems full of anger, fear, and despair, Saint Charles reminds us to try and see Christ in each person we meet. Then to find ways to lift that person to a better life through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. If we do that, we are never fighting our battles alone, and if God is for us, who can be against us?
A homily for Wednesday, November 4th, 2020: The Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo