SOLEMNITY

OF

SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT

Patron Saint of Science, Technicians, Medical Technicians
Technologists and Philosophers

November 15
2019
 THE LIFE OF ST. CHARLES BORROMEO
Charles Borromeo was a leading figure of the Catholic
Reformation.
He was born in a castle on the shores of Lake
Maggiore in northern Italy, to a powerful family. He
was related to the Medici through his mother. As the
second son, he was destined for a career in the Church
from an early age. He received a doctorate in civil and
canon law at the University of Pavia, and when his
uncle was elected Pope Pius IV in 1559 he was
summoned to Rome and made a cardinal. Among
many other responsibilities he was made administrator
of the vacant diocese of Milan and protector of the
Catholic cantons of Switzerland and of the Franciscans
and the Carmelites.
He played a large part in the diplomatic efforts that
led to the reopening in 1562 of the reforming Council
of Trent, suspended since 1552. As long as the Church
was in a weak and corrupt state, emperors and kings
could control it and its assets – and they would not
easily give up control.
In late 1562 Charles’s elder brother died, leaving him
as head of the family. His relations wanted him to
abandon his ecclesiastical career and marry, and even
the Pope suggested it; but Charles saw his brother’s
death as a sign of the vanity of human wishes.
Eventually, in 1563, he settled the argument by secretly
being ordained priest. He was soon consecrated as
Archbishop of Milan, but the Pope would not let him
leave Rome because he was needed there. He worked
on the catechism, the Missal and the Breviary, and
reformed his own diocese as well as he could from a
distance through trusted deputies.
At length Pius IV died and in 1566 his successor
permitted Charles to take up residence in his diocese.
He began reform from the top, giving much of his
property to the poor. He set up the Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine to teach children the faith: it was
the beginning and inspiration of the Sunday school
movement. When famine struck the province, he fed
3,000 people at his own expense for three months and
inspired others to do likewise. When plague came, he
prepared himself for death, made his will, and went to
the hospital where the worst cases were. After
enormous amounts of nagging, preaching and
persuasion the secular clergy at length followed his
example.
As might be expected, Charles encountered
determined opposition to his program of reform. His
aunts, in Dominican convents, treated the introduction
of grilles as a personal insult. More seriously, the
canons of one church slammed the door in his face to
prevent him making a visitation and their servants
fired at him, damaging the crucifix he was carrying;
and the members of a rich and corrupt order of monks
were so opposed to being reformed that one of them
dressed as a layman, joined Charles’s household at
evening prayer, and shot him. The assassin’s bullet did
not penetrate Charles’s clothing. (Two years later the
Pope had to suppress the order and distribute its
assets: a sad end to an order that had done much
good and produced many saints in its 350-year
history).
The King of Spain, whose jurisdiction included Milan
at the time, resisted any diminution of his power, and
the next fifteen years are a complex tapestry of
arrests, excommunications, denunciations, calumnies,
and absolutions – ending at last in peace.
Charles’s final visitation was of the cantons of
Switzerland in 1583, where as well as the usual
corruptions and abuses he had to deal with senior
priests who were practicing witchcraft and sorcery,
and enemies who claimed that his fight against heresy
was a plot to extend Spanish domination into the
region.
Charles died on 3 November 1584 at the age of 46.
 INVITATORY PSALM
Lord, open my lips.
- And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

PSALM 95
“Every day, as long as this ‘today’ lasts, keep
encouraging one another” (Heb 3:13).

ANTIPHON: Come, let us worship Christ, the chief

shepherd of the flock.
Come, let us sing to the Lord
and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us.
Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving
and sing joyful songs to the Lord.
– Come, let us worship Christ, the chief shepherd of the
flock.
The Lord is God, the mighty God,
the great king over all the gods.
He holds in his hand the depths of the earth
and the highest mountains as well.
He made the sea; it belongs to him,
the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands.
– Come, let us worship Christ, the chief shepherd of the
flock.
Come, then, let us bow down and worship,
bending the knee before the Lord, our maker.
For he is our God and we are his people,
the flock he shepherds.
– Come, let us worship Christ, the chief shepherd of the
flock.
Today, listen to the voice of the Lord:
Do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did
in the wilderness,
when at Meriba and Massah
they challenged me and provoked me,
although they had seen all of my works.
– Come, let us worship Christ, the chief shepherd of the
flock.
Forty years I endured that generation.
I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray
and they do not know my ways.”
So I swore in my anger,
“They shall not enter into my rest.”
– Come, let us worship Christ, the chief shepherd of the
flock.
Glory to the Father and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.

ANTIPHON: Come, let us worship Christ, the chief

shepherd of the flock.

HYMN
O God beyond all praising,
we worship you today
and sing the love amazing
that songs cannot repay;

For we can only wonder

at every gift you send,
at blessings without number
and mercies without end:

We lift our hearts before you

and wait upon your word,
we honor and adore you,
our great and mighty Lord.

Then hear, O gracious Saviour,

accept the love we bring,
that we who know your favour
may serve you as our king;

And whether our tomorrows

be filled with good or ill,
we'll triumph through our sorrows
and rise to bless you still:

To marvel at your beauty

and glory in your ways,
and make a joyful duty
our sacrifice of praise.
PSALMODY
PSALM 118 A
ANTIPHON: I will bless the Lord, day after day,
Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
his mercy endures forever.
Let Israel say:
his mercy endures forever.

Let the house of Aaron say,

his mercy endures forever.
Let those who fear the LORD say,
his mercy endures forever.

In danger I called on the LORD;

the LORD answered me and set me free.
The LORD is with me; I am not afraid;
what can mortals do against me?

The LORD is with me as my helper;

I shall look in triumph on my foes.
Better to take refuge in the LORD
than to put one’s trust in mortals.
Better to take refuge in the LORD
than to put one’s trust in princes.

All the nations surrounded me;

in the LORD’s name I cut them off.
They surrounded me on every side;
in the LORD’s name I cut them off.

They surrounded me like bees;

they burned up like fire among thorns;
in the LORD’s name I cut them off.
I was hard pressed and falling,
but the LORD came to my help.
The LORD, my strength and might,
has become my savior.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

ANTIPHON: I will bless the Lord, day after day,

Alleluia.

PSALM 118 B
ANTIPHON: Blessed be the Lord in his righteous and
saints in heaven forever, Alleluia.
The joyful shout of deliverance
is heard in the tents of the righteous:
“The LORD’s right hand works valiantly;
the LORD’s right hand is raised;
the LORD’s right hand works valiantly.”

I shall not die but live

and declare the deeds of the LORD.
The LORD chastised me harshly,
but did not hand me over to death.

Open the gates of righteousness;

I will enter and thank the LORD.
This is the LORD’s own gate,
through it the righteous enter.
I thank you for you answered me;
you have been my savior.

The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.i
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.

This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice in it and be glad.
LORD, grant salvation!*
LORD, grant good fortune!

Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the LORD.
We bless you from the house of the LORD.
The LORD is God and has enlightened us.
Join in procession with leafy branches
up to the horns of the altar.

You are my God, I give you thanks;

my God, I offer you praise.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
his mercy endures forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

ANTIPHON: Blessed be the Lord in his righteous and

saints in heaven forever, Alleluia.
 PSALM 147
ANTIPHON: Let all the servants of the Lord, bless and
glorify His Name, Alleluia
Glorify the LORD, Jerusalem;
Zion, offer praise to your God,
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates,
blessed your children within you.

He brings peace to your borders,

and satisfies you with finest wheat.
He sends his command to earth;
his word runs swiftly!
Thus he makes the snow like wool,
and spreads the frost like ash;

He disperses hail like crumbs.

Who can withstand his cold?
Yet when again he issues his command, it melts them;
he raises his winds and the waters flow.
 He proclaims his word to Jacob,
his statutes and laws to Israel.
He has not done this for any other nation;
of such laws they know nothing.
Hallelujah!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

ANTIPHON: Let all the servants of the Lord, bless and

glorify His Name, Alleluia

FIRST READING - A Reading from the Second Letter

of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (2 Cor 4: 6-12, 16-18)
“We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to despair.”
For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”
has shone in our hearts to bring to light the knowledge
of the glory of God on the face of Jesus Christ.
But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the
surpassing power may be of God and not from us. We
are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but
not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our
body.11For we who live are constantly being given up
to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus
may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although
our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being
renewed day by day. For this momentary light
affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory
beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen
but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory,
but what is unseen is eternal.

RESPONSORY 2 Cor 4: 6, 8-9

- For God who said, “Let light shine out of
darkness,”
 - We are afflicted in every way, but not
constrained; perplexed, but not driven to
despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck
down, but not destroyed.

SECOND READING - A Sermon by Saint Charles

Borromeo
“Practice what you preach.”
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 how the Lord’s blood that
has washed them clean so that 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.

RESPONSORY
- You must aim to be saintly and religious, filled
with faith and love, patient and gentle. This is
what you are to enforce in your teaching: be an
example to all the believers.

- If you put all this before the brothers, you will be

a good servant of Christ Jesus. This is what you
are to enforce in your teaching: be an example to
all the believers.

FINAL COLLECT
Let us pray,
Lord, keep alive in your people
the spirit you gave to your bishop Saint Charles
Borromeo.
Shape and renew your Church
until it bears the image of Christ,
and shows his true likeness to the world.
PRAYER TO SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT
O God, thou art wondrous in thy saints!
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Lord, have mercy.

Accompany and illuminate the work of scientists and

 Christ, have mercy.
Christ have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ hear us.

Christ graciously hear us.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us.

Queen of Apostles,
pray for us.

St. Charles,
pray for us.

St. Charles, imitator of Christ,

pray for us.

St. Charles, faithful follower of Christ crucified,

pray for us.

St. Charles, replenished with the spirit of the Apostles,

pray for us.

St. Charles, consumed with zeal for the glory of God,

pray for us.

St. Charles, the light and support of the Church,

pray for us.

St. Charles, Father and Guide of the Clergy,

pray for us.

St. Charles, most desirous of the salvation of souls,

pray for us.

St. Charles, a model of humility and penance,

pray for us.

St. Charles, most zealous,

for the instruction of youth, pray for us.
pray for us.

Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,

spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,

graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,

have mercy on us, O Lord.

Pray for us, O glorious St. Charles.

- That we may be made worthy of the promises of
Christ.
Let us pray,
Preserve Your Church, O Lord,
under the continual protection
of Your glorious Confessor and Bishop, St. Charles,
that as he was eminent for the discharge of his
pastoral duties,
so his prayers may make us zealous
in the love of Your holy name:
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

- Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.

- Thanks be to God.