Poured Out Like Light: The Radical Cost of Following Christ

Phil 2:12-18, Psalm: 26, Lk 14:25-33

Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We all want our lives to shine. We want to be lights in the darkness, to make a difference, to be remembered for something good. But do we know what it takes? Today, Saint Paul tells us that we shine like lights only when we hold fast to the word of life—even when it means being poured out like a libation. And Jesus tells us the cost is nothing less than everything.

In his Letter to the Philippians, Paul writes from prison, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work.” This is not a contradiction. Grace and effort work together. God gives us both the desire and the power, but we must cooperate. Paul then tells us how: “Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world.”

Notice the image. Lights in the world. Stars in the darkness. But light does not shine by itself. A star shines by burning. A lamp shines by being consumed. Paul continues, “Even if I am poured out like a libation… I rejoice.” To shine like a light, we must be willing to be poured out. Consumed. Burned.

Then Jesus turns to the crowds traveling with Him and delivers the hardest words of the Gospel. “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” This is not a command to hate. It is a command to love less. To love God more. “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” Then He tells two parables. A man building a tower must first calculate the cost. A king going to war must first assess his army. The lesson: before you follow Me, know what it costs.

And what does it cost? Everything. “Everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

The connection is this: the light only shines when the cost is paid. Paul could shine in prison because he had already surrendered everything. He was poured out like a libation. He had counted the cost and paid it in full.

Saint Charles Borromeo understood this. He was born into wealth, power, and privilege. His family was one of the most prominent in Italy. His uncle was the Pope. He was made a cardinal at twenty-two. He could have lived in luxury, comfortable in the Roman court. But when he was appointed Archbishop of Milan, he embraced reform. He gave away his wealth. He lived simply. He visited his parishes, catechized children, reformed the clergy, and cared for the poor. When a plague struck Milan, he did not flee. He stayed. He ministered to the dying. He led processions of penance. He spent himself completely.

Pope Benedict XVI said of Saint Charles Borromeo, “He was a man of deep prayer and profound charity, a true shepherd who gave his life for his flock.” Pope Francis has said, “The Church needs shepherds who smell like their sheep, who are not afraid to give their lives.” And Saint Charles himself wrote, “The best way to preach is to live what we preach. Words move, but examples draw.”

What does this mean for us? We are called to shine like lights. But light costs. It costs our comfort. It costs our pride. It costs our possessions, our plans, our very lives. The tower must be built. The battle must be fought. The cross must be carried. But we do not carry it alone. The same God who demands everything gives everything. He works in us both the desire and the work. He is the light that shines through us.

Today, let us examine our hearts. Have we counted the cost? Are we willing to be poured out like a libation? Let us ask Saint Charles Borromeo to intercede for us, that we may shine like lights in a crooked world, and that when we are poured out, we may rejoice.

For the light only shines in the darkness. And the only way to shine is to burn. Amen. May God bless you all!