Today is May 26, the Memorial of St. Philip Neri, Priest.
We read at today’s Mass, “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me” (Jn 15:26-27).
These beautiful readings during this season of the Church year are leading us toward Pentecost. We’re beginning to hear more and more of this intimate language from the Son about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Having celebrated the Ascension — the return of the Son to the Father — we now prepare for the outpouring of the Spirit, who will descend from heaven to guide us on our own journey home.
Today’s saint, St. Philip Neri, is a perfect companion in this time of preparation. Known for his incredible docility to the Holy Spirit, St. Philip was a great preacher and reformer in Rome. He founded the Congregation of the Oratory, a community renowned today for its liturgy and scholarship. St. Philip also had a special connection to the Dominicans as a member of the Third Order.
Engaging hearts with joy
But beyond his institutional legacy, St. Philip was beloved for his remarkable sense of humor and creative evangelization. He found ways to engage hearts with joy, often organizing pilgrimages like the Seven Church Walk — still practiced today on Holy Thursday in Rome.
St. Philip once said, “The Holy Spirit is the master of prayer and causes us to abide in continual peace and cheerfulness, which is a foretaste of paradise.” These gifts — peace and joy — are signs that the Spirit is at work in us. But how do we prepare to receive them?
Philip gives us the key: “If we wish the Holy Spirit to teach us how to pray, we must practice humility and obedience.” If we desire an expanded heart — one that overflows with peace and joy — we must grow in these virtues.
So today, let’s ask ourselves: How am I being called to deeper humility? In what ways can I practice obedience, especially to the promptings of the Spirit?
Let us pray,
O God, who never cease to bestow the glory of holiness on the faithful servants you raise up for yourself, graciously grant that the Holy Spirit may kindle in us that fire with which he wonderfully filled the heart of Saint Philip Neri. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
