"Saints of Empowered Prayer: St. Philip Neri"
St. Philip Neri:
St. Philip was a Christian missionary and founder of the Congregation of the
Oratory, a community of Catholic priests and lay brothers. He was born in
Florence in 1515 and at a young age was known for being cheerful and obedient.
At 18 he experienced a mystical vision which dramatically changed his life.
He set out for Rome and became a live-in tutor. During his
first two years in Rome, Philip spent his time in a solitary life dedicating a
lot of time to prayer. He ate very small meals practicing an ascetical life. In
1535 he began to continue his study of theology and philosophy giving it up
after three years. He set about to help the poor and re-evangelize the city of
Rome.
He had a knack for engaging people
encouraging them to do good works. His days were dedicated to helping others,
but his nights were set aside for solitude spent praying in the church
or in the catacombs. In 1544 he had another mystical experience with the fire
of God's love filling his heart. With the encouragement of his confessor he was
ordained to the priesthood in 1551. He continued his mission but now mostly
through the confessional, where he readily spoke about Jesus, the saints and
martyrs. Before sun up, until sun down, Philip spent hours listening to people
of all ages.
Philip's organization was approved by
the Pope in 1575. He continued his life engaging in ministry and prayer. In the
words of one of his biographers, Philip was "all things to all men……When he was
called upon to be merry, he was so; if there was a demand upon his sympathy, he
was equally ready…" He became a trusted adviser to popes, kings, cardinals and
equally important to the poor. He desired to reform the Catholic Church and
worked toward that with a sense of gentleness and friendship, rather than
criticism and harshness. He died in 1595 and was canonized in 1622 by Pope
Gregory XV. His feast day is May 26th.
Question:
1) How has my prayer changed me over time?
And,
2) Where
is it leading me?
