In 1515, a young boy who came to be known by as ‘Pippo Buono’ (The Good Philip) was born in Florence. Philip Neri earned a reputation for sanctity at an early age. By the age of sixteen, following the death of his mother and the loss of the family fortune, Philip set off to work for his rich merchant uncle Romolo in San Germano. Philip’s father thought it would be a good idea to send his son to learn a proper trade. While he excelled in the work he had been sent to do, it formed only a portion of his daily occupation, for his real interest was in Divine matters. Hours would be spent in prayer, and the young man would often visit the Benedictines in Monte Cassino or retire to the chapel of the Holy Cross near the Port of Gaeta. During his time in prayer, he discerned that he was not called to the life he had been sent to live by his father, but rather that he was to devote his life entirely to God. When St Philip left Florence for San Germano it was not his final destination. Instead, he was destined to reach Rome and never see Florence again, dying in Rome on May 26th, which is his feast day.
St Philip dedicated himself to several forms of devotion. One was long nights he spent in the Roman Catacombs praying in silence. We are all in need of great silence in the presence of God, where we can commune with Our Lord undisturbed. St Philip found this in the ancient catacombs, in the midst of the darkness, solitude, quiet, and the ascetic diet he subjected himself to. It was in this context that St Philip experienced his own personal Pentecost on the vigil of Pentecost 1544, in which the Holy Spirit flew into his mouth in the form of a flaming ball of fire. St Philip swallowed the ball, and instantly felt severe palpitations of his heart. His heart had increased in size, and after his death it was found that it had indeed grown larger and that two of his ribs had been broken and were protruding.
St Philip’s life as a layman in Rome presents us with a man who was a hermit living in the world. As a layman he was active in the world, but always had his mind raised to God in prayer. He was active, but found his strength in silent discourse with God. His time as a layman should be an inspiration for laymen today, that although one may have a lot to do in the world, we need to draw strength from God in order to do it well. The means of doing so is prayer.
Prayer does not bear fruit unless it is united with mortification. This idea was essential to St Philip. He taught that the spiritual life consists in learning how to mortify oneself for the love of God. But by mortification, St Philip was not primarily thinking of corporal mortification, such as using the discipline and wearing a hair shirt, although he was by no means opposed to these means of mortification of the flesh. St Philip was more interested in mortification of the mind – or the “razionale”. He was later in life to lay down this maxim: “the sanctity of a man lies in the breadth of three fingers, (the forehead), that is to say, in mortifying the understanding, which would fain reason upon things.’
St Philip has been compared to Socrates, traversing the city and seeking opportunities to engage people in conversation about God. He would try to lead them to the contemplation of divine things with playful irony, questioning them in Socratic fashion. This was yet another way in which his personal charism lead to the sanctification of souls. And this point is vital to grasp, for St Philip’s apostolate was always personal. The “Phillipine” way of leading people to faith is through personal influence, not so much the following of an established rule or certain prescribed prayers. Although there are rules, customs and some common vocal prayers in the Oratories of today, they are not what characterise sons of St Philip. Rather, the Philippine spirit is expressed by trying to follow the saint in his ways and customs. Already as a layman, we see much of what would be characteristic of St Philip as a priest. Philip never expected to be ordained a priest, and the movement he originally inspired was aimed at laymen. At its core, the Philippine “spirit” is focused on the laity, and the spiritual teachings he presented and embodied should be no less of an inspiration to those of us trying to lead a holier life in the world today.