ST. PHILIP NERI – May 26

St. Philip Neri, the Apostle of Rome (21 Jul 1515 - 26 May 1595)

St. Philip Neri was a secular priest of Rome, and a renowned pastor and confessor in his own time. He had a special care for the poor children of the city and founded a school and college for them. He also instituted the Visit to the Seven Churches - a pilgrimage that took people from all walks of line on long treks to visit the ancient basilicas in the Roman countryside. Desiring to nourish the faithful with the daily bread of God's word, with frequent and devout reception of the Sacraments, with constant prayer and with other exercises of piety, he founded the Congregation of the Oratory.

EARLY LIFE
This Italian Saint was born in Florence to good and devout parents: Francesco di Neri, a lawyer, and Lucrezia da Mosciana, a noblewoman. He received his early education from the famed Dominican friars outside Florence. He was nicknamed Pippo buono - "good little Phil" - when he was a child. He was always so jolly and friendly that everyone he met loved him. When he was eighteen, his parents apprenticed him to his uncle, Romolo, a wealthy merchant living near Naples. Philip gained his confidence and affection, for he worked hard, was intelligent and carried out his work admirably. Philip stood to inherit his uncle's business and substantial fortune. Yet Philip had a profound religious experience. He no longer cared for the things of this world.

A ROMAN LAYMAN
In 1533, he moved to Rome. There for three years he studied philosophy and the sacred sciences under the Augustinians and dedicated himself wholly to Christ. He studied hard and led a pure, good life. In 1538, he began his "home mission" work for which he would become so famous. Walking throughout the city, St. Philip willingly engaged anyone into conversation on topics of the faith he set before them. Eventually these spontaneous conversations took on a more defined form: people met together weekly one evening to pray, study, learn, discuss the faith, and grow in piety. This was the seed from which his Oratory would spring.

At this time, he began to labor among the poor and sick of the city. He never ceased performing these labors which earned him a reputation of saintliness. God also granted him a special gift of exceeding purity, and thus he was even able to spread the Gospel among women of the night. These apostolic labors were not viewed favorably by all, especially those who lost revenue on account of increased virtue. Once some enemies of St.Philip hid two evil women in his room to tempt him to sin, thinking to expose his supposed hypocrisy. St. Philip was unable to flee from the room! But he saved his soul from any impure sin by promptly falling to his knees and praying out loud with all his heart. Those two women were so struck with shame that they did not even dare to look at the Saint! All his life St. Philip kept his purity and virginity intact; he had the gift of distinguishing those who cultivated purity by a good odor, and those who did not by a stench.

A HEART FOR JESUS
For seventeen years St. Philip labored in this apostolate in Rome without ever thinking of becoming a priest. In 1544, he met St. Ignatius of Loyola. Many encouraged him to become a Jesuit but he knew God was not calling him there. Nevertheless, he had a very good relationship with the Society of Jesus and directed many of his disciples to a vocation with their fledgling organization.

One day in 1545, when St. Philip was praying in the catacombs, he received a singular grace. God struck his breast with an intense pain so terrible that two of his ribs cracked. Yet the bones had broken on account of an expanded heart and they had formed an arch over it. Pope Benedict XIV (+1758) explained that since St. Philip loved God so ardently, God had miraculously enlarged his heart. St. Philip burned with such ardor, that God permitted this "fire" to also manifest itself physically. Even on cold days, St. Philip would seek ways to cool his burning heart. Many sick came to him and he merely laid the ailing member of their body upon his breast and there were miraculously cured. Once when he was speaking to cloistered nuns concerning the Divine Love, the very metal of their clausura's double-grating began to melt under his hands!

It was only out of obedience to the Holy Father that St. Philip agreed to accept Sacred Orders. In 1551 he received all the minor orders, was ordained a deacon, and then made a priest on 23 May 1551. St. Philip had wished to become a missionary in India, much like St. Francis Xavier, but the pope told him he was needed more as a missionary in Rome. The salvation of souls became his consummate desire. Through hearing confessions, in which he persevered to the last day of his life, he brought forth innumerable sons for Christ. St. Philip was famed for the gift of prophecy and for his wonderful penetration of the thoughts of men's hearts.

THE ORATORY
In 1556, St. Philip Neri began the institute which the world would simply come to know as The Oratory. At first there were just weekly gatherings for prayer, hymns, reading from Sacred Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the martyrology, followed by a lecture or a discussion on some religious question. Giovanni Palestrina, one of Neri's adherents, composed music for the gatherings. Then the sacerdotal members of the Oratory expanded their mission work by preaching sermons every evening in different churches all around Rome. (At this time, such a practice was unheard of!) Many cardinals and leading churchmen joined St. Philip's Oratory. The Congregation of the Oratory was formally recognized and organized by Pope Gregory XIII's bull on 15 July 1575. Over time, the Oratory continued to grow, various churches were built or acquired, and more oratories began to spring up in other parts of Italy and Europe. Despite many contrary pressures, St. Philip Neri never sought to centralize authority over the oratories of the congregation or to transform the Oratory along monastic lines.

It seems clear that Divine Providence used the model of St. Philip's Oratory to help strengthen the Church at at time when she was under a great attack from the Protestant Revolution. Secular priests needed increased Catholic formation, saintly examples, and to be strengthened in virtue. The spiritual and corporal works performed through the Oratory helped preserve the integrity of Catholicism inviolate. Rome was also filled with much corruption at this time. Many prelates had grown worldly, vain, and ambitious. Their practice of the faith was lukewarm and scandalous. St. Phil Neri's zeal help re-enkindle the Eternal City with fervor for Christ and His Mystical Bride, the one Holy Catholic Church. His efforts helped give Rome greater credibility before all of Christendom at a time when it was sorely needed. For these reasons, as well as his work among the poor and sick, St. Philip Neri will forever be known as The Apostle of Rome.

HIS CHARACTER
When Philip became a priest, he did much good to poor children, to sinners, to sick people, and to all. Because of him, the whole city of Rome became better. He treated himself very strictly, but he was gentle and kind to everyone else. He worked miracles, could foresee some aspects of the future, and had the gift of reading hearts. But to avoid the admiration of people, he played jokes and did funny things, like shaving only one side of his face so that they would laugh at him and forget how holy he truly was. According to him, "A joyful heart is more easily made perfect than a downcast one." He had a unique gift for combining playful humor with shrewd wit, and common popularity with intense piety.

St. Philip was a great mystic. He bi-located and visited other saints. He had visions and performed many miracles. He often fell into ecstasy while offering the Most Holy Sacrifice. For example on one occasion, he began to levitate and lost all sense of the sanctuary and his surroundings. The servers and faithful were moved to great devotion at this sight. Yet two hours later, he was still hovering ecstatically above the altar. Other priests had to 'wake him' so that he would finish offering the Holy Sacrifice and all the faithful could resume their duties. St. Philip had not even been aware that one second had gone by!

His greatest happiness was to be alone with God. Yet at the call of charity he gave up the delight of contemplation and instead sought God by helping his neighbor. He was wont to say, "We must leave Christ for Christ." His entire life was truly that of contemplative action.

St. Philip cheered up all who came near him. Often he would say, "I will have no scrupulosity and no melancholy in my house." He was always ready to comfort and help another. At the same time, he was very prudent. Once he was called to a sick woman's bed, but when he arrived, he realized she was only pretending to be sick. She wanted to them the Saint to sin instead. St. Philip turned right around and left at once. So pure was he that many times one look of his drove temptations away.

A POLITICAL INTERVENTION
St. Philip Neri thought it best to keep silent regarding political affairs. Yet contrary to his customary mode of acting, he entered this realm in 1593 in order to persuade Pope Clement VIII to withdraw an excommunication laid on King Henry IV of France. Henry IV was raised a Protestant. When he inherited the crown many opposed him on the grounds that only a Catholic could rule France. During the French Wars of Religion (1562-98), Henry received support from Protestant England and Germany against the Catholic League. France was devastated; two to four million Frenchmen are estimated to have been killed. Finally on 25 July 1593, Henry IV formally abjured the Calvinist heresy, embraced the Catholic Faith, and civil peace was largely restored. Even though the college of cardinals supported the pope's action, St. Philip Neri saw that the pope's attitude would most likely lead Henry to relapse into heresy and even rekindle the bloody civil war in France between Catholics and Hugenots. He directed Cardinal Baronius, a member of the Oratory who was then Pope Clement's confessor, to refuse the pope absolution and to resign his office of confessor, unless the pope withdraw the anathema. Pope Clement yielded to St. Philip Neri. King Henry only learned of the saint's intervention years later and testified with lively gratitude for his timely political intervention. Note: With The Edict of Nantes in 1598 (after St. Philip Neri's death), King Henry IV granted "religious liberties" to the Huguenots. This Edict is one of the first and most significant state acts of 'religious tolerance' which were to became so fashionable in later centuries and have helped lead towards the ever-growing spread of religious indifferentism.

HIS DEATH AND VENERATION
At the age of eighty, St. Philip Neri died on the Feast of Corpus Christi (25 May 1595). He spent the day hearing confessions and receiving visitors. Cardinal Baronius, who would succeed Neri in governing the Oratory, offered the commendatory prayers over him. Baronius then asked the dying saint to give his spiritual sons a blessing. Having hemorrhaged much, St. Philip could no longer speak, so he blessed them with the Sign of the Cross and entered into his eternal reward.

St. Philip Neri was beatified by Pope Paul V in 1615 and canonized by Pope Gregory XV in 1622. His body is kept in the Chiesa Nuova of Rome. He remains one of the most important and influential figures of the Church's Tridentine Reformation - most especially on account of his having helped convert many important and high-ranking churchmen to personal holiness. Clearly, we desperately need the spirit of St. Philip Neri in these days; hence let us vehemently implore his assistance.

PRAYERS
Many of St. Philip Neri's best teachings are exemplified by his well known brief prayers, which he would faithfully recite daily. For example, his complete trust in God and interior peace was nurtured by praying, "Let me get through today, and I shall not fear tomorrow." Or again, his humility, compunction and complete dependence upon the grace and mercy of God were vivified by the prayer, "Lord, keep me close to Thee this day or I shall betray Thee worse than Judas."

O God, who raised St. Philip Neri to the glory of sainthood, may we who rejoice to celebrate his feast profit by his intercession and the example of his virtues. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.