Wisdom from St. Philip Neri

Today, May 26th, is the Feast of St. Philip Neri. St. Philip was a 16th century Italian priest who founded a secular order of fellow priests called "The Congregation of the Oratory." St. Philip was known for his down-to-earth manner and humor as much as he was for his sanctity.

He had no money, but contributions poured in from his friends, rich and poor. Pope Gregory and Charles Borromeo gave generously, as did other prominent men. Cardinals and princes were now among Philip's disciples, though he sometimes shocked them by his impulsiveness. His desire was always to establish a close, human bond with others, even though it meant indulging in a wine-drinking contest, practical joking, or other undignified behavior. He acted in a jocular manner to conceal his deep emotion, or to put himself on a level with those around him. Humility was the virtue he strove most of all to practice, but of course he could not conceal his extraordinary gifts or sanctity. More than once he foretold events which later came to pass. He lived in such a state of spiritual exaltation that at times it was with difficulty that he carried on his daily labors. Men declared that his face often glowed with a celestial radiance.

(Taken from "Lives of Saints", Published by John J. Crawley & Co., Inc., 1954.)

St. Philip left us with an amazing collection of thoughts, instructions, and sayings. Here are but a few.

"Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us persevere in a good life. Therefore the servant of God ought always to be in good spirits.”

"Nulla dies sine linea: Do not let a day pass without doing some good during it."

"Let me get through today, and I shall not fear tomorrow.”

“Sufferings are a kind of paradise to him who suffers them with patience, while they are a hell to him who has no patience.”

"First let a little love find entrance into their hearts, and the rest will follow."

"Give me ten truly detached men. and I will convert the world with them."

"Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if he wants anything of you, He will fit you for the work and give you strength."

"If you wish to go to extremes, let it be in sweetness, patience, humility and charity.”

“Believe me, there is no more powerful means to obtain God’s grace than to employ the intercessions of the Holy Virgin.”

If you'd like to be inspired daily by St. Philip, bookmark the website The Maxims and Sayings of St. Philip Neri. There is a quote there for every day of the year from this holy man who taught us, among other things, that's it's okay to be cheeky at times.

St. Philip Neri . . . was called "The Humorous Saint," and at his door was a little sign that said, "The House of Christian Mirth." "Christian joy is a gift from God flowing from a good conscience," he said. Once, a young priest asked him what prayer would be the most appropriate to say for a couple after a wedding Mass, and Philip Neri thought and said, "A prayer for peace."

(Taken from the essay "Laughing with the Saints: Joy, Humor, and Laughter in the Spiritual Life" by James Martin, S.J.)

The Third Angel Apparition at Fatima

In the autumn of 1916 the children received their third and final visit from the Angel of Portugal. While attending their flocks they began reciting the prayer the angel taught them during his first visit ("My God, I believe, I adore . . ."), when suddenly a strange light shone over them. Looking up, they saw the angel holding a chalice in his left hand, over which was suspended a Host dripping droplets of blood. The angel left the chalice and Host in the air and knelt in front of it by the children. He then told the children to recite this prayer three times:

Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. And by the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.

Then the angel rose back up and gave the Host to Lucia and the chalice to Francisco and Jacinta, telling them:

Eat and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ terribly outraged by the ingratitude of men. Offer reparation for their sakes and console God.

Afterward, the angel bowed down to the ground and repeated the prayer ("Most Holy Trinity . . . ") three more times. The children, enraptured as they were in this supernatural moment, imitated everything the angel did and said.

All of this angelic activity was a prelude, of course, to the visits Our Lady would make the following year to the children, in which she would convey her requests of penance, prayer and devotion to her Immaculate Heart.

As today is the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, it would benefit all of us to reflect on the happenings at Fatima, their historical impact, and their relevance to us today. To that end, here are some helpful resources:

Fatima: A Grace for Mankind

The World Apostolate of Fatima (The Blue Army)

And be sure to check out this trailer for the 2009 movie, The 13th Day, a critically acclaimed film distributed by Ignatius Press that the National Catholic Register calls "the best film ever made about Fatima--the most beautiful and effective, as well as one of the most historically accurate."

The Second Angel Apparition at Fatima

The second angel visitation to the three Fatima children took place during the summer of 1916, on a hot, carefree day when Lucia and her two cousins, Jacinta and Francisco, were playing near a garden behind Lucia's home.

Years later in her memoirs Lucia wrote of the apparition:

Suddenly we saw the same angel near us. 

"What are you doing? You must pray! Pray! The hearts of Jesus and Mary have merciful designs for you. You must offer your prayers and sacrifices to God, the Most High."

"But how are we to sacrifice?" I asked.

"In every way you can offer sacrifice to God in reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for sinners. In this way you will bring peace to our country, for I am its guardian angel, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, bear and accept with patience the sufferings God will send you."

During this and all the other apparitions the children experienced, including those of the Blessed Mother the following year, Francisco could only see the heavenly visitors. For reasons unknown, he never heard a word that was spoken, although he could clearly see that talking was taking place.

After the angel left the children, Francisco pleaded with the girls to tell him what the angel had said. But like the first apparition, this one left the children with a profound sense of wonder and contemplative silence, so much so that it wasn't until the next day that Lucia could tell Francisco what had transpired.

As she explained:

The Angels' words sank deeply into our souls like a gleaming torch, showing us Who God is, what is His love for us, and how he wants us to love Him too; the value of sacrifice and how it pleases Him; how He receives it for the conversion of sinners. That is why from that moment we began to offer Him whatever mortified us.

Tomorrow: The Third Angel Apparition

The First Angel Apparition at Fatima

In 1916, a year before the Blessed Mother appeared at Fatima to Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, an angel (who called himself the Angel of Portugal and the Angel of Peace) appeared to the children in a series of three visitations. During these visits the angel instructed the children in prayer, the reparative power of suffering, and the doctrine of the Holy Eucharist. By way of these grace-filled lessons, and strengthened by Holy Communion given them by the angel, the children were prepared for their roles in what is arguably the most spectacular Marian apparition of the 20th century.

In her memoirs, Lucia described the angel as having "the appearance of a young man of fourteen or fifteen, whiter than snow, which the sun rendered transparent as if it were of crystal, and of great beauty."

She goes on with the account of that first appearance, which took place in the spring of 1916:

We were astonished and absorbed and we said nothing to one another. And then he said:

"Do not be afraid. I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me."

He knelt, bending his forehead to the ground. With a supernatural impulse we did the same, repeating the words we heard him say:

"My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love You. I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope, and do not  love You."

After repeating this prayer three times the angel rose and said to us:

"Pray in this way. The hearts of Jesus and Mary are ready to listen to you."

After he left, the children were filled with such an overpowering sense of the supernatural that they could not speak about their experience, either right afterwards or in the days that followed. As Lucia explains: "We were locked in silence without having willed it."

Tomorrow: The Second Angel Apparition