# Matins Nocturn 2 reading for St. Charles Borromeo (Nov 4). Sourced
# directly from web/www/horas/Latin/Sancti/11-04.txt,
# English/Sancti/11-04.txt. Lectio4-6 combined into one reading, one
# continuous vita. No [Lectio7] in the source -- no own Nocturn 3.
id: st-charles-borromeo
readings:
  - nocturn: 2
    isGospel: false
    text:
      la: >-
        Cárolus, Mediolani nobili Borromæórum família natus, quanta
        futurus esset sanctitáte conspicuus, divina lux super
        pariéntis matris cubiculum noctu coruscans præsignávit. A
        puerítia clericali milítiæ adscriptus, abbatía postmodum
        insignítus, patrem admonuit ne réditus in rem familiarem
        converteréntur; quorum ipse nactus administratiónem, quidquid
        supérerat, expendebat in páuperes. Adoléscens liberálibus
        disciplinis Papíæ operam dedit. Castitátem adeo coluit, ut
        impudícas étiam mulieres, ad labefactándam ejus pudicítiam
        pluries immissas, invicta constántia fugaverit. Vigesimum
        tertium ætátis annum agens, a Pio quarto ejus avunculo in
        sacrum cardinalium collegium cooptatus, insígni pietátis ac
        virtútum ómnium splendore præluxit. Mox ab eodem Mediolanénsis
        archiepíscopus creatus, in eo plurimam operam adhibuit, ut,
        juxta sacrosanctum Tridentinum concílium, quod ejus potíssimum
        sollicitúdine jam tum fuerat absolutum, ecclésiam sibi
        commissam compóneret; atque, ut depravatos plebis suæ mores
        reformaret, præter iteratam sæpius synodórum celebratiónem,
        seípsum exímiæ sanctitátis præbuit exemplar. In profligandis
        hæreticis e partibus Rhætórum et Helvetiórum, quorum plurimos
        ad christianam fidem convértit, maxime laborávit.


        Hujus viri caritas præcipue enituit, cum, Uritano principatu
        véndito, prétium univérsum, ad quadragínta aureórum millia,
        una die in páuperes erogávit. Nec minore pietáte viginti
        millia, quæ sibi fúerant legata, distríbuit. Ecclesiásticos
        proventus, quibus ab avunculo copiose fuerat cumulátus,
        dimísit, nonnullis retentis, quibus ad proprios usus et
        egenórum necessitates utebátur. Quo témpore pestis Mediolani
        grassabátur, domesticam supellectilem, ne relícto sibi
        lectulo, in eosdem alendos cóntulit, super nuda in pósterum
        tábula decumbens; eoque morbo laborántes sédulo invisens,
        paterno reficiebat afféctu, et Ecclésiæ sacraménta propriis
        ipse mánibus administrans, mirum in modum solabátur.
        Humillimis interim precibus reconciliator accédens, publica
        supplicatióne indicta, fune sibi ad collum alligato, nudis
        pédibus étiam offendiculo cruentátis, crucem bájulans,
        semetípsum pro peccátis pópuli hóstiam offerens, divinam
        indignatiónem avértere satagebat. Ecclesiásticæ libertátis
        fuit acerrimus propugnator. Disciplinæ vero restituéndæ
        sollícitus, a seditiosis, dum oratióni insísteret, torménti
        bellici laxáta rota, igneo glóbulo percússus, divina virtúte
        servátur illæsus.


        Abstinéntia fuit admirábili; jejunábat sæpíssime, pane tantum
        et aqua, solis quandoque lupínis contentus. Nocturnis
        vigiliis, asperrimo cilício, assiduis flagellis corpus
        domábat. Humilitátis ac mansuetúdinis studiosíssimus fuit.
        Oratiónem ac verbi Dei prædicatiónem, gravíssimis licet curis
        occupatus, numquam intermisit. Multas ecclésias, monasteria,
        collegia ædificávit. Plura scripsit, ad episcopórum præsertim
        instructiónem utilíssima; cujus étiam ópera parochórum
        catechismus pródiit. Demum, in solitúdinem Varalli montis, ubi
        scultpis imagínibus Dominicæ passiónis mysteria ad vivum
        repræsentántur, secessit; ibique, diébus aliquot voluntária
        castigatióne asperam, sed Christi dolórum meditatiónibus
        suavem vitam ducens, in febrim íncidit. Mediolanum reversus,
        ingravescénte morbo, cínere ac cilício coopertus, et óculis in
        Crucifixi imáginem defixis, migrávit in cælum, ætátis anno
        quadragesimo séptimo, Dómini vero millesimo quingentésimo
        octogesimo quarto, tertio Nonas Novembris. Quem, miraculis
        clarum, Paulus quintus Pontifex maximus in Sanctórum númerum
        retulit.
      en: >-
        Charles, of the noble family of Borromeo, was born (on the 2nd
        day of October, in the year of our Lord 1538,) at (the Castle
        of Arona, fourteen miles from) Milan. In foretoken of his holy
        life, God caused a bright light to shine by night over the
        chamber where his mother lay in travail. As soon as his age
        would allow him, he received the tonsure. When he was twelve
        years old, he was made Abbot (of the rich Benedictine Abbey of
        St. Gratinian and St. Felin,) but reminded his father that the
        revenues thereof were not to be used as mere family property.
        His father, to whom the administration of these revenues fell
        during his son's non-age, still gave them forthwith over to
        him, and whatever was left over, he gave to the poor. While he
        was young he studied letters at Pavia. He kept his purity
        thoroughly, so that he scared away the unclean women, of whom
        many were set upon him, to overthrow his self-control. In the
        twenty-third year of his age, his uncle Pius IV. made him a
        Cardinal, in which dignity he was a burning and shining light
        of godliness and all graces before the whole of the Sacred
        College. About forty days afterwards the same Pope created him
        Archbishop of Milan. As such it was his great desire to order
        the Church committed to his charge in accordance with the
        requirements of the most holy Council of Trent, which was in
        great part by his labours brought to a conclusion. To raise up
        the degraded lives of the people, he oftentimes held Synods,
        but himself set an example of deep godliness. He worked
        earnestly to purge the parts about the Alps and borders of
        Switzerland of heresy, and brought many of the heretics to the
        Christian faith.


        Charity was the brightest mark of his life. His principality
        of Oria, (in the kingdom of Naples,) he sold for forty
        thousand crowns, and gave the whole sum to the poor in one
        day. Twenty thousand crowns being left him as a legacy (by
        Virginia, widow of Count Frederick Borromeo,) he gave the
        whole to the poor. The incomes of the benefices wherewith he
        had been loaded by his uncle, he spent upon the needs of the
        poor, except what he used for himself. When the plague
        grievously raged in Milan, he gave up to the sick poor the
        furniture of his own house, even to his own bedding, and
        thenceforward slept upon the boards. He constantly visited the
        sick, cheered them by his fatherly kindness, and wonderfully
        comforted them, ministering to them with his own hands the
        Sacraments of the Church. At the same time he drew near to
        plead for them with God in lowly entreaty, and ordered a
        public Procession wherein he walked himself carrying a Cross,
        with a rope halter round his neck, and his bare feet bleeding
        from the stones, and fain to turn away the Divine anger by
        offering himself as a scapegoat for the sins of his people. He
        was a stout defender of the freedom of the Church. But in the
        Church he was an earnest reformer of discipline, and once,
        when he was engaged in prayer, (the paid agent of) some
        conspirators took a shot at him with a blunderbuss, but,
        though the ball struck him, the power of God kept him
        unharmed.


        He was remarkable for his abstinence. He very often fasted
        upon nothing but bread and water, and sometimes nothing but
        lupines. He tamed his body by depriving himself of sleep, by
        very rough haircloth, and by constant scourging. He was an
        earnest practiser of lowliness and meekness. However much he
        was taken up with business, he never gave himself relaxation
        from prayer and from preaching the word of God. He built many
        Churches, convents, and schools. He wrote much matter, useful
        more especially for the good of Bishops. The publication of
        the Parish Priests' Catechism was due to his care. In October,
        1584, he withdrew himself, for the purpose of making a
        retreat, to (what is called) the Sacro Monte of Varallo, an
        hill whereon (many sacred subjects and especially) the
        incidents of the Lord's sufferings are represented in
        life-size groups of coloured figures. (On Oct. 24) he was
        taken ill of a (tertian) ague, ~(but concealed it,) and lived
        there for some days a life of torture by voluntary suffering,
        but of sweetness by thoughts of Christ's woes. After his
        return to Milan, (which he reached in a litter upon All Souls'
        Day,) his sickness became hopeless, and early in the night
        between the (3rd and) 4th days of November, in the 47th year
        of his own age, and in that of our Lord 1584, covered with
        ashes and sackcloth, and with his eyes fixed upon the image of
        Christ crucified, he exchanged earth for heaven. He was famous
        for miracles, and Pope Paul V. numbered him among the Saints.
    status: { la: verified, en: verified }
