Saint Philip Neri

It has been some time since we talked about a saint but we have one for today, Saint Philip Neri. Saint Philip was born in Florence, Italy in 1515. He went to Rome and worked with young men among whom he fostered Christian life and formed an association for the poor and sick. He was ordained a priest in 1551. He founded an Oratory where spiritual reading, singing, and works of charity were practiced. He excelled in his love of neighbor and in evangelical simplicity along with joyous service to God. Saint Philip died in 1595 (Magnificat, 358). The one line that caught my attention about his life was, "He excelled in his love of neighbor..." We hear about love in our gospel reading, John 15:9-11. Jesus says to his disciples, "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love." This reminds us of the great commandment of love that Jesus gave to us, love God and love your neighbor. Love is a great gift and we pray for that gift each day. We see how our Lord model the gift of love and the holy men and women who have gone before us. Today, we have a saint to look to, Philip Neri, who excelled in his love for neighbor. Let us pray for his intercession and the grace to do the same. Blessings to you!!!