In his day, Saint Philip Neri
captivated the city of Rome with his holiness, gentleness, and joyfulness. And although he was greatly revered as a spiritual advisor and confessor, he
loved to do outlandish things to make himself look foolish - putting a pillow
on his head as if it were a turban and walking around the city, sporting a heavy fur coat in the heat of a
Roman summer, or shaving off half of his beard before an important engagement.
And once during confession, when a fashion-conscious Roman
lady who wore shoes with very high heels, worried that she was being too vain and
asked Philip for his advice, he said simply, “Just be careful that you don’t fall
over.”
The love of Christ was all that mattered to Saint Philip and he wanted that love to matter to everyone. He often said, “He who wants something other than Christ does not know what he wants.” If joy is the surest sign of our love for Christ, when have I failed?
Saint Philip Neri (1515–1595), Carlo Dolci (Italian, Florence 1616–1687 Florence), 1645 or 1646, oil on canvas, 17 1/2 × 14 1/4 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Used with permission.
