November 4, 2026
Summary of the Morrow's Meditation.
We will meditate to-morrow upon St. Charles, and we will consider: 1st, the elevation of his soul above all that passes away; 2d, his union with God. We will then make the resolution: 1st, to consecrate ourselves to God without reserve, without allowing ourselves to indulge in any attachment; 2d, to give ourselves up more and more to a life of recollection and of union with God. Our spiritual nosegay shall be the words of God to Abraham: "Walk before Me and be perfect" (Gen. xvii. 1).
Meditation for the Morning.
Let us adore God, whose powerful grace formed in St. Charles an admirable type of the purest and loftiest virtues. This great man was like a luminous lighthouse, placed by God in the midst of the sixteenth century to enlighten it amidst the darkness which covered the earth, and to show to the world that at all epochs, even amidst scandals and disorders, it is still possible to be a saint. Let us thank God for so great an example offered to all the children of the Church, and let us ask Him to enable us to profit by it.
FIRST POINT.
How the Great Soul of St. Charles was Raised above all that Passes Away.
This elevation of soul appeared from his childhood. When he was still only a boy his pleasure already consisted in decorating chapels, ornamenting altars, imitating the ceremonies and the songs of the Church. At college all his tastes were serious, and he divided his time between prayer and study. Provided at an early period with a rich benefice, he took from it only what was strictly necessary; all the rest was for the poor. Raised to honors, he saw in them only matter for a more terrible account to be rendered, but one more reason for being more humble and more holy. For, he said to himself, being in a position in which I am more exposed to be looked at, I ought to give a better example; being drawn nearer to Jesus Christ, I ought to live more by His life and to be filled with His spirit. Superior to the outward things by which he was surrounded, he is still more raised above himself; he controls his own will, which he keeps bent beneath a severe rule, which assures the wise distribution of his time, the economy of every moment, without caprice or dislike ever being able to derange the beautiful ordering of it all; he rules his temper, and masters it to such an extent as to maintain it in a state of constant serenity, which neither prosperity inebriates or dissipates, nor adverse circumstances render melancholy or less agreeable; never a word of ill-humor, never a sharp remark, escapes him; he conquers the curiosity which is always in search of news, and he fears all such things as are calculated to dissipate the recollection of the soul; he overcomes the delicacies of sensuality to the point of fighting against them by means of hair-shirts, which tear his innocent flesh; by disciplines, which make his noble blood to flow; by watchings, which only leave him a few moments for sleep taken upon the bare ground, in order that he may give more time to prayer and study; lastly, by fastings on bread and water, his only nourishment, and which he allows himself to take only once a day. How, above all, shall we give expression to the elevation of his soul above all self-love? He esteems himself so little that he calls himself a worm which ought to be trodden under foot; a useless servant, sinful and idle, the least of men and the most ungrateful of creatures. He blushes and is confounded when he is honored, he rejoices when he is humbled and when evil is spoken of him, and, in so far as he can, he hides everything that might make him to be esteemed.
SECOND POINT.
How the Great Soul of St. Charles was United to God.
Three links concurred together in forming this union: faith, hope, charity. Faith showed to him God present everywhere, and everywhere he respected Him by a holy recollection and a religious attitude. It showed him God present in the bottom of his heart (II. Cor. vi. 16), and in this interior sanctuary he remained with Him in so intimate and assiduous a manner that it was easy to recognize it by the calmness of his conversation and a certain tranquil joy which was spread over his face. It showed him still more clearly God present in our churches; this fervent prelate was often to be seen there, prostrate, motionless, during long hours, and when necessity tore him away he left his heart behind him, for there, he said, is the centre of all my joys. If he fulfilled some function or other, it was with a modesty, a piety, a religious attitude, which seized hold upon the spectators and reanimated even the most lukewarm. His faith occupied him with God even in his journeys, and he always carried about with him several subjects of meditation with which to feed his heart. To this vigilance to keep himself united with God during the day he added the night, and he then retired into a little cell under the roof of his palace. There, alone with God, prostrate before the Supreme Majesty, he gave himself up to all the fervor of prayer. Being thus united to God by faith, St. Charles also united himself to God by hope. Confiding in God alone, he kept close to Him, in the same way as a child who, not being able to walk alone, clings to its mother's hand; and, tranquil in this confidence, he preserved his soul in peace in the midst of all events, without anything being able to trouble or distract him. Lastly, more powerful still than hope and faith, charity united the heart of St. Charles to God. Possessed by holy love, he had a horror of the slightest faults, for the sole reason that they displeased God, whom alone he loved; of even the smallest imperfections, because they diminished, he said, the beauty of virtue; and, jealous to preserve himself from them, he watched over his senses to keep them at a distance from evil; over his exterior, to avoid too great freedom in his gestures and not sufficient restraint over his eyes; over his thoughts, to have none but such as were holy; over his words, to utter none but such as were edifying. Moreover, he confessed every day, often even with great abundance of tears, and he was always accompanied by two priests, to whom was confided the duty of warning him of his smallest imperfections. It was thus that charity kept him always pure, always united to God, who is infinite purity.
Resolutions and spiritual nosegay as above.