St. Philip on Worthy Reception

Today is the great Feast of Corpus Christi. 

Coincidentally, the Maxims and Sayings of St. Philip Neri list the following quote for today, June 8:

"To feel any displeasure because we are refused the Communion, is a sign of hardiness, pride, and a want of mortification."

In our time, humble Christian princes are substituted with defiant elected officials who receive our Lord every Sunday despite supporting the slaughter of innocents and moral corruption. Saints who speak of fear and trembling when approaching the Sacrament are ignored to make room for "radical inclusion" and supposed non-politicization of the Eucharistic table. 

The Eucharist is no casual affair! May stubborn rulers, both secular and ecclesiastical, remember the words of St. Paul in the Epistle of Corpus Christi, and the words of Good St. Philip for this calendar day. Do not harden your heart if you know yourself to be unworthy to receive the Lord, and make penance for your misdeeds as soon as possible.

+I.D.S.P.N.

Concluding Philiptide

Frater David serving at Low Mass on St. Philip's Day (5/26/2023)

Today on Ember Friday in the Octave of Pentecost is the Octave Day of St. Philip Neri. While Philipmas was not impeded this year by the precedence of Whitsun Week, the Phillpmas Octave's remaining seven days all occurred between Whitsun Eve and the Friday of Whitsun Week. 

St. Philip statuette at Our Lady of the Rosary gift shop

Father Joseph Illo of San Francisco's Star of the Sea parish has included his Homily on St. Philip from 2015 on his blog, celebrating the Good Saint's spiritual fatherhood over many in the city of Rome. New Liturgical Movement has also republished an excellent article on Pippo Buono's position as a patron for Traditionalists among the other great Counter-Reformation saints.

As a final piece to commemorate Philiptide, above we have posted a recording from 2013 of the Brothers singing "True Sons of Philip," a joyful hymn recalling the patronage and example of our spiritual father. The hymn is an acrostic sung to the German Marian hymn tune Wunderschön prächtige, with the lyrics modified between each Oratory to spell out the location. For example, the intials of the original hymn's verses read "The Little Oratory in London," while the Cardiff Oratory's variant reads "The Little Oratory, Caerdydd," using the Welsh name for Cardiff. In all cases, the refrain spells "S.P.N.," the initials of St. Philip Neri. 

St. Philip Neri, pray for us!

Courtesy: Fratellino & Jon T