Zeal

Zeal is not a word that is part of our contemporary vocabulary. When is the last time you heard someone, even a priest during a homily, use it? Even when we hear a reference to the apostle, Simon the Zealot, it sounds like "republican" or "demorcrat" more than a description of his personality, although it was a faction at the time to which he belonged: Jews who zealously wanted to live the Scriptures and work for the restoration of the kingdom of Israel.
St. Charles Borromeo, whose Memorial is observed today, was a short man, 5'4", but a dynamo on fire with love of Jesus, and love of the Church. When he became Archbishop and later Cardinal of Milan, he set the diocese abalze with reform with his infectious and unyielding zeal. He understood the Church's mission and untied it from the bonds of corruption and indifference that had stagnated the growth of the faithful. He lived at the time of the Reformation and labored tirelessly to correct the abuses that had led up to it. Like the tiny mustard seed, this man, small of stature, cultivated a community of faith that became a strong and vigorous tree.
Speaking with pastors, campus ministers, and teachers, I find that, for the most part, the "faithful" in their hands have little or no knowledge of their faith or of God, much like Jean Baptiste Montagne, the young lad St. Marcellin encountered on his death bed. "We're starting from scratch" sums up the situation. It can be discouraging, but the example of these zealous saints urges us on to find our own zeal, determination, persistence, patience, and, above all, LOVE, for these young people who don't ever realize their spiritual poverty. May we take to heart St. Paul's admonition: "Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord" (Romans 12:11).
Bro. Rene