Posted on 05/27/2002 1:55:20 PM PDT by Lady In Blue
St. Philip Neri at the High Altar
The Council required all candidates for the priesthood in Rome to take an examination. This posed no difficulty for Philip. Persiano Rosa had overseen his preparation. Now in San Girolamo he had free room and board, with no salary to be sure, but plenty of freedom just what he needed. Now he celebrated holy Mass daily, and this daily celebration was itself something unusual, even at San Girolamo. It should be said that it was precisely the possibility of celebrating the sacrifice of the Mass and this privilege alone that had drawn Philip to the priesthood - and yet had terrified him.
In San Girolamo Philip asked to celebrate the last Mass of the day, which was near noontime. The reason for this was more than his desire to leave the morning free for hearing the many confessions which soon became his major apostolate. The real reason was his desire to celebrate Mass with as few people present as possible - ideally alone. At that late hour he could celebrate at the high altar, where no one would be able to see his face. This unusual practice of Philips pointed to a characteristic that was very deep in Philip and that he always wished to keep hidden, but which shone forth in his whole life: his deep devotion to the Eucharist, his love for the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. This love was already apparent in his prayer before the Lord in the monstrance at the Forty Hours Devotion. It showed itself also in the spread of the practice of frequent, even daily Communion, which Cacciaguerra and Philip encouraged. How much the Eucharist meant to him is indicated by the number of witnesses in the Process of Canonization who remarked upon it.
No one who had attended a Mass celebrated by him could forget the experience. His closest friends saw it as an act of providence that the last day of his life was the feast of Corpus Christi. (When Cardinal Berulle, founder of the French Oratory, made the Eucharist and the priesthood the essential points of his spirituality, he was placing something supremely Philippine at the foundation of his community.) For Philip the Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament meant submission to Christ. Conversion, turning to Christ and giving ones love to Him, seems to have been a characteristic trait of church renewal and reform in Philips time. Meeting with Christ and making a decision for Him are the central points of the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. Submission to Christ was also taught and lived by the new Orders that had arisen in northern Italy and were now beginning to operate in Rome: the Theatines, the Somaschi, and the Barnabites. Philip was to lead men back to Christ in a personal way - as the apostle of the confessional. It began simply and without ostentation. As if it were the most self-evident thing in the world, Bacci, after giving his account of Philips priestly ordination, adds simply: He undertook the task of hearing confessions.
Certainly the task of hearing confessions and giving spiritual direction became characteristic of Philips priesthood, indeed literally to the last day of his life. Bacci writes that early in the morning, as soon as the church was open, Philip went down to his confessional. Now and then he would walk in the church or outside in the fresh air, praying his Rosary or reading from a book until someone came wishing to confess, when he would return instantly to his post. More and more people began to come to him, and before long, he had heard a number of confessions in his room before the first light of morning. So as to lose no time, he left the key near the door, and those who wished to confess in the early hours knew about it and let themselves in. His confreres in later life sometimes worried about his tireless work in the confessional. He made short work of their objections. Hearing confessions is no strain at all for me, but rather, a recreation.
Bumping this beautiful article on 05-26-04.
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The morals of Roman priests were the subject of jokes all over Europe. In Rome itself priests rarely wore priestly attire
Lol! Could have been written this year.
BUMP
See, the church has gone through this before and survived.
OH, horrors. And this was at the time of the "blessed" Council of Trent. LOL!
**The reason for this was more than his desire to leave the morning free for hearing the many confessions which soon became his major apostolate. The real reason was his desire to celebrate Mass with as few people present as possible - ideally alone. At that late hour he could celebrate at the high altar, where no one would be able to see his face. This unusual practice of Philips pointed to a characteristic that was very deep in Philip and that he always wished to keep hidden, but which shone forth in his whole life: his deep devotion to the Eucharist, his love for the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. This love was already apparent in his prayer before the Lord in the monstrance at the Forty Hours Devotion. It showed itself also in the spread of the practice of frequent, even daily Communion, which Cacciaguerra and Philip encouraged.**
A confessor and someone with an outstanding devotion to the Blessed Sacrament -- boy, do we need more priests like that today.
BTW, please pray for my son.
Thank you very much,Salvation. I had forgotten that today is his feast day.
Bump.
Salvation,I will keep your son in my prayers. What is his name?
PLEASE PING ME!!!!!!!!!!
BTTT on the feastday of St. Philip Neri, May 26, 2005.
St. Philip Neri died in 1595, and the feast of Corpus Christi fell on May 25. The Saint died early in the morning of the next day, May 26, which is now his feast day. This year, the traditional date for the Feast of Corpus Christi and St. Philip's feast day fall on the same day, which I think is very appropriate, given his love for the Eucharist.
Thanks for pinging people to the thread.
Bump.
Also, this year is the Year of the Eucharist! The Lord works in mysterious ways.
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