Through the grace that I have been given, I say this to every one of you: recognize that God has given to each one his measure of faith. St. Charles of Borromeo whose memory the Church honors today was a nephew of Pope Pius IV who appointed him cardinal and secretary of state at age twenty two, and thereafter as archbishop of Milan. He was one of the chief agents of the successful conclusion of the Council of Trent and the drafting of the Catechism. In his diocese of Milan, he zealously applied the spirit of the Council, establishing Sunday schools, houses for orphans and the poor, and renewing the moral life of the clergy and the religious. He established diocesan seminaries and was instrumental in their organization. He is the patron saint of seminarians, catechists, and catechumens. 
Whereas it might appear that St. Charles Borromeo’s appointment as a cardinal-archbishop lay in the fact that he was the Pope’s nephew, because of what he was able to accomplish as a cardinal-archbishop, we can say that it was because of his gifts and talents that his uncle gave him the appointments. In the First Reading, St. Paul urges the members of the Roman community to perform an honest self-assessment of the charisms (gifts and talents) that are present in the community. This, reasons St. Paul, will allow for the “exploitation” of the diverse charisms present in the community which will in turn help in its growth and development. St. Charles Borromeo must have heard and taken to heart these words of St. Paul. Aware that he had been given the responsibility of shepherding the See of Milan, St. Charles realized that he had to  lay down his very life in order to give life to his flock. It was to this end that he embarked upon reform of the way of life of the clergy and the religious. He saw that it was his duty as a shepherd to use his gifts and talents for the good of the flock.