Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo (Bishop)
Theme: We are stewards
Today the church celebrates the memorial of St. Charles Borromeo, a Bishop. He is the patron saints of Bishops, catechists, cardinals and so many other groups. As a shepherd, he dedicated himself to serving his people and corrected abuses in the church at that time. In the life of St. Charles Borromeo the admonition in our readings today take flesh and become real. He was a man who did not allow material wealth to becloud his service to God and humanity. Rather, in his conviction about his faith, he selflessly gave everything for the common good of those he served as a shepherd. This is an attitude that we have to learn from him. He served his people wholeheartedly, and worked for the common good of everyone.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, in the gospel reading of today we see the action of the dishonest steward, and Jesus was not pleased with it. All of us as children of God are stewards in different ways. The question is, are we good stewards or we are dishonest stewards like the steward in the gospel? Our stewardship could be in our place of work, it could be in our business place, it could be in the church, it could be in the school and so many other places. What type of fruit is your stewardship bearing, are they good enough to the glory of God or are we using it as a means through which we are exploiting other people? It is expected that our stewardship should bear good fruits and be sincere, just like that of the saint we celebrate today. He worked sincerely for the good of the people and not for his own personal gains.
Dearly beloved in Christ, in the same way we are all encouraged to be good stewards wherever we find ourselves in life, just like St. Charles Borromeo. We must be conscious of the fact that what the world is presenting to us is fleeting and temporal, it cannot stand the test of time. So we must not make the mistake of allowing it to make us lose that which is more important to us as children of God; attaining salvation at the end of our earthly pilgrimage. Let us trust in God and continue to do our best to be good stewards wherever we find ourselves in life. May almighty God bless his words in our heart, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.