The Holy Name of Jesus
 
 
In the middle of the Christmas Cycle, between the Nativity and the Epiphany, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus. In this we recall the eighth day after his birth when the Lord’s parents brought him to be circumcised and given the name announced by Gabriel to Mary, “His […]

The Spirituality of St Philip

Obedience
Obedience is the only law imposed by God for the universal ordering of all things and for their conservation (Istruzione per Esercizi, p.85). The cosmos obeys the divine order. Man, to give greater glory to God, is called to obey in total freedom.
There is no greater expression of freedom than following […]

The Spirituality of St Philip

Chastity
“Chastity is mentioned by St Paul as being one of the fruits of the Spirit. Chastity ought to be lived as the freedom of the heart, in a total giving of oneself to the Lord; not as a rejection of a human reality that was willed by God and sanctified by […]

The Spirituality of St Philip

Work
This is the most important means of practicing poverty in the Oratory. The members of the Congregation live by their own work, “miliant propriis stipendiis,” they live off their own incomes (General Constitutions n. 102).
Even work becomes a means of sanctification when it is understood as a way to fulfil the will […]

The Spirituality of St Philip

Poverty
Jesus warns, “…whoever of you does not renounce all that he has he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14.33).
Detachment from the things of this world and poverty are like the travelling companions of the other virtues. St Philip always showed  great freedom from, and indifference to, worldly possessions and an unconditional […]

The Spirituality of St Philip
 
Joy
 Joy is part of  the unique legacy of St Philip and it is one of the most distinctive aspects of Oratorian Community life. Everyone remembers St Philip as joyful, happy, funny, and unpredictable in his jests.
In this time and this world full of so many worries, the Oratorians are called to […]

The Spirituality of St Philip

Freedom of Spirit
 
St Philip’s ‘freedom’ is well-known. This is an integral part of the ‘Philippine Spirit’. It is the authentic freedom of the children of God, and a gift from the Holy Spirit, “the truth will set you free” (Jn 8.32). We exercise true freedom when we act in truth, under […]

The Spirituality of Philip

  
Mortification
St Philip said, “Where there is no mortification there can be no great sanctity.” “The sanctity of men can fit in the space of three fingers,” he said, touching his forehead. “The mortification of the understanding and loving God are more valuable than fasting, penance and bodily mortification.”
Fr Alessandro Fedeli (one the […]

The Spirituality of St Philip
 
Humility
“Humility helps us fully detach from egoism, from honours, and from worldly goods, while protecting us from the contamination of the world and stimulating our apostolic work.” (Fr Antonio Cistellini)
Humility is necessary for prayer, for a genuine dialogue with God. Humility is the attitude of the “Poor of the Lord” who […]

The Spirituality of St Philip Neri

St Philip from ‘Preferisco il Paradiso’
 
 St Philip’s spirituality is “simple, pure, and soundly evangelical”.
St Augustine says, “Love and do what you will”. It is in the light of these words that we must see both freedom and the need to practice virtue. It is in love of God in which […]