During the celebration of the Fourth Centenary of the death of Saint Philip Neri, a Florentine by origin and a Roman by choice, I am pleased to address all the Members of the Confederation of the Oratory to recall the example of the founder’s holiness and to strengthen in everyone the work of faith, the effort of charity and persevering hope. (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:3)
The charming figure of the “joyful Saint” still today keeps intact the irresistible charm he exerted on all those who approached him in order to learn to know and experience in themselves the authentic sources of Christian joy. Looking again at the biography of St. Philip, we are indeed amazed, but also amazed at the joyful and free way in which he was able to educate, standing at the side of each one with fraternal approval and patience. As is well known, the Saint was in the habit of summarizing his teaching in short and witty maxims: “Be good if you can”; “Let scruples and despondency come out of my house”; “Be humble and be meek”; “A man who does not pray is like an animal”; and, raising the hand to the forehead; “Holiness is within three fingers.”
Under the guise of the wit of these and many other “sayings”, one can discover the depth he has acquired and a realistic knowledge of human nature and the dynamics of grace. In these short and concise teachings, he transmitted the experiences of his long life and the wisdom of the heart in which the Holy Spirit dwells. These aphorisms have now become, for Christian spirituality, a kind of wisdom inheritance.
From the Vatican, October 7, 1994
John Paul II
