Optional Memorial of Saint Francis Borgia, Priest
The prophet Baruch remembers how good God has been, in the graces of the Exodus, in giving a place of peace and of nourishment to the people, in the gifts of the covenant and the prophets and constant fidelity. And in comparison, he sees the shocking contrast between such gifts and the behavior of the people of his day: egoism, idolatry, evils of every kind. In the Gospel we hear the names of towns where our Lord has spent so much time doing good, working miracles, and giving every grace necessary for repentance. Christ calls out these very towns and says that their response of pride and refusal to change any of their ways makes them worse than their worst enemies. The ingratitude and callousness shown is shocking to the heart of Christ.
Saint Francis Borgia, another friend of Saint Ignatius, a nobleman who became a widow and then joined the Jesuits, wrote a number of spiritual books. In these books on prayer, he gave the regular advice to consider very honestly how we have responded to God’s many graces and goodness in our lives, down to the present day. His own reflections spurred Saint Francis Borgia on; seeing how good God had been to him, he desired each day to serve God more and more, to dedicate himself with renewed love and devotion to Christ who had given such proof of His love for us. Let us ask Baruch and Saint Francis Borgia to pray for us, that we may use our memories more intentionally to remember God’s goodness to us today, and so ask for the grace of repentance from our ingratitude, and for the gift of new, sensitive heart open to serving Jesus anew this day.