July 25 2025 - St. James the Greater - A pilgrimage lesson from the Camino de Santiago

 

You may have heard that as part of our seminary formation program here in Cleveland, the bishop has instituted what is called a propaedeutic immersion year. It is a year just prior to beginning formal theological studies. Propaedeutic means preparatory. So the seminarians prepare for the more intense years of seminary formation in this propaedeutic year. And they do so by adopting a rather monastic schedule of prayer and study. Except for a few hours once a week, they fast from technology, media and commerce—so they are only able to use a cell phone or internet on Saturdays. In an age filled with so many distractions—the propaedeutic year is aimed at becoming a little bit more still in order to listen to God more deeply. Once a week they also dedicate to service projects and apostolic ministry. They had an inner city immersion experience in January. And, they just returned from walking the Camino de Santiago, the pilgrim way of St. James.

The Camino follows the way that the apostle we honor today, St. James, walked, bringing the Gospel 3000 miles from the shores of the Sea of Galilee where he was first called by the Lord.

I had the opportunity to speak with one of the seminarians this week who made the pilgrimage--not the whole way from the Holy Land, but a good chunk! They would walk for a major portion of the day, then stay in hostels. He said they would walk through towns and meet people on some days. Other days, were very boring, walking through pretty desolate, unpopulated areas. And all you had was your faith, and companionship with the other pilgrims.

I think that speaks pretty well for the nature of the Christian life, which itself is a pilgrimage. Sometime the Christian pilgrimage is filled with excitement and activity, sometimes it is lonely or kind of empty. But it’s in those empty times when we are really challenged to open ourselves to the experience of God with us.

If you are experiencing some dryness in your faith or prayer life, or have a special petition—like the discernment of your vocation or the repose of the soul of a dear loved one, perhaps you carry a great guilt or a great grief, make a pilgrimage. Detach from the things of the world for a bit, in visit a holy place. Make an intentional spiritual journey to a holy place to seek the special intercession of the saint honored there.  

Likely, on that pilgrimage you will also discover, how you, like St. James, are called to share the Gospel with others.

Each day is part of the pilgrimage of the Christian life, in which we are called to practice perseverance, detachment, trust, and friendliness to those we meet. May St. James the example and intercession of St. James urge us on in our apostolic efforts in this our pilgrim journey, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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May we join the Holy Apostles in our prayer for the world and the Church.

As the Apostles witnessed to the Resurrection of the Lord, may we be witnesses to the farthest corners of the world.

For the bishops, the successors of the apostles: That they may be courageous in stirring up the flame of faith and defending the Church from error.

For all of the sick and suffering, especially victims of natural disaster, poverty, and addiction, may they be comforted and supported by God’s healing love. We pray to the Lord.

For all who long to see the face of the Father, for all our departed loved ones and all of the souls in purgatory, and for N. for whom this Mass is offered. We pray to the Lord.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

10th Week in Ordinary Time 2025 - Tuesday - Holy Saltiness

 

Well, after 40 days of Lent, and Holy Week, and the Paschal Triduum, and 50 days of easter, almost exactly 25% of the liturgical year, we’ve returned once again to Ordinary Time.

The green of Ordinary time reminds us of the growth for which we are to strive, the growth in holiness, and virtue, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Green is also the color associated with the theological virtue of hope. We hope that what we do in the ordinary course of the Christian life will lead to heaven.

Our Gospel readings during Ordinary Time focus mostly on the teachings and works of Jesus throughout the course of his public ministry, from after his baptism in the Jordan before he reaches Jerusalem.

Ordinary Time is like a slow pilgrimage, during which we are pondering each day, with each step, the truths of our Lord, and how to incorporate them into the concrete details of our life.

Today Jesus teaches that his followers are to be the salt of the earth. In the ancient world, salt had a number of uses. So, too, Christians have a number of jobs.

The first job for salt most of us think of is seasoning. Salt makes food tasty. So, too, Christians are to be a sort of seasoning to an otherwise bland world.  There is nothing more interesting, no one more full of life, than a Christian saint filled with the life of Christ—something each of us are to aspire to.

Salt is also a Preservative: In the days before refrigeration, salt made preserving food possible for times of famine. Christians have the job of preserving what is good and holy in creation, and fighting off spiritual decay.

Salt is also a Purifier: most water purification systems use salt as a "purifier." Christians are to be the world’s purifiers: opposing the corrupting powers of malice and perversion and greed, purifying the mind and heart of society by preaching the word and calling to conversion.

Salt is used to melt ice. Christians are called to melt the coldness of the icy hearts of the world, particularly through our charity. There is nothing more heartwarming than when we act in selfless Christian charity.

Finally, salt is used to prevent people from slipping on slippery paths.  Christians are called to help souls from slipping into damnation—again by preaching the Gospel, instructing the ignorant, and correcting the sinner.

During this Ordinary Time, consider how you are called in the concrete details of your life to add some holy saltiness—purification, sanctity, warmth, and stability—to the people and relationships around you for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

 

As we journey through Ordinary Time, trusting in the Lord’s grace at work in our daily lives, let us offer our prayers for the Church and for the world:

For the holy Church of God: That through her preaching, teaching, and sacramental life, she may bring the seasoning of joy, the warmth of charity, and the light of hope to a world grown cold with indifference.

For all who are called to positions of leadership and influence: That they may uphold what is true and just, and help preserve what is good in society.

For our parish community: That we may grow each day in holiness and virtue, becoming instruments of God’s grace in our families, our workplaces, and our neighborhoods.

For the sick, the poor, those who struggle with spiritual dryness or despair, and those in need: that God’s grace may bring healing to their wounds and warmth to their hearts.

For the faithful departed: That, having followed Christ in this life, they may now rejoice in the eternal banquet of heaven.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

Ash Wednesday 2025 - Pope Francis' Message & The Lenten Journey

 At the beginning of February, prior to his hospitalization for his serious illness, Pope Francis offered a message to the world for the season of Lent which we begin today.

He wrote: “Dear brothers and sisters, We begin our annual pilgrimage of Lent in faith and hope with the penitential rite of the imposition of ashes. The Church, our mother and teacher, invites us to open our hearts to God’s grace, so that we can celebrate with great joy the paschal victory of Christ the Lord over sin and death, which led Saint Paul to exclaim: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”. Indeed, Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, is the heart of our faith and the pledge of our hope in the Father’s great promise, already fulfilled in his beloved Son: life eternal.”

So in that opening passage, the Holy Father calls our attention to several themes of the Lenten season: that Lent is a pilgrimage meant to open our hearts to God’s grace which deepens our hope in God’s promise of eternal life.

He then went on to explain how Lent is a journey. He said, the idea that we are pilgrims on a journey “evokes the lengthy journey of the people of Israel to the Promised Land, as recounted in the Book of Exodus. This arduous path from slavery to freedom was willed and guided by the Lord, who loves his people and remains ever faithful to them. “

You know this story right? The people of Israel had become enslaved in Egypt, and God led them out of slavery over a period of 40 years, much like the 40 days of Lent, through the desert to the promised Land. Through those 40 years, God sought to strengthen their faith and purify his people from the sins that they had adopted in Egypt, sins which were a sort of spiritual slavery.

When we allow selfishness and cruelty and faithlessness and self-centeredness and perversion and disobedience to God and disordered attachment to the things of the world—when we allow these things to rule our life—we are in a sort of slavery. But God made us to be free from these things that degrade our human nature.

And the season of Lent is part of the journey we must all take if we wish to be free. We fast, we pray, we give of ourselves because we want to be free. We have ashes placed on our foreheads today because we want to be free to live as disciples of Jesus, free even from the fear of death. Which is why the Holy Father quoted that line from St. Paul, “death where is your sting” meaning, that the Christian is so free, that the fear of death has no control over us.

But fearlessness and freedom are only obtained when we take the journey with the Lord Jesus—the journey into the Lenten desert—the desert journey in which we are strengthened in faith, purified from sin, where we learn to fast and pray and give with generous open hearts for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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As we begin our Lenten journey, we bring our needs before the Lord, trusting in His desire to free us from sin and lead us to the joy of the Resurrection.

For the Church: That all Christians may embrace this Lenten season as a pilgrimage of faith and hope, opening their hearts to God’s grace and growing in holiness.

For Pope Francis: that during this time of serious illness, the Holy Father might know the merciful presence of the Lord and give us all an example of patience and faith.

For those who feel enslaved by sin or hopelessness: That they may discover in Jesus Christ the path to true freedom, finding courage in prayer, fasting, and self-giving to break every chain that oppresses the human heart,

For all in positions of authority and responsibility: That they may promote justice, peace, and the dignity of every person.

For those who are sick, suffering, or near death: That they may be freed from fear and know the consoling presence of Christ crucified and risen, who conquers even the sting of death.

For our beloved dead: That, having completed their earthly pilgrimage, they may enter into eternal life with Christ, sharing in the full victory over sin and death,

Merciful Father, as we mark ourselves with ashes, lead us on the desert road of Lent to freedom in Your Son. Hear our prayers, and grant us all we need to walk confidently toward the Easter victory. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

October 4 2021 - St. Francis of Assisi - Pilgrimage, Stigmata, and Holy Poverty

 As I’ve shared in the past, a few years ago, I was able to make pilgrimage to Rome with our Bishop at the time, Bishop Perez, with my priest classmate on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of our priestly ordination. After our time in Rome, we made a spiritual retreat in Assisi.

Daily we celebrated mass and visited the churches and locations that were significant in the life of St. Francis. We visited and prayed at the Cathedral of San Rufino in Assisi where both Francis and Clare were baptized. We visited the town square where Francis famously stripped off his clothes, renounced his inheritance, claiming to belong only to Christ. The group went to the Portiuncula, the tiny chapel in which Francis heard the Lord speaking to him to rebuild his church.

And of course, I visited his tomb. I had taken with me about 150 prayer requests from our parishioners, and I offered each of them at the holy tomb of St. Francis.

One of my favorite parts of the retreat was when we ventured to La Verna, the mountain where Francis took his retreat, withdrawing from the world to pray. It is there that in 1224, Francis received the Holy Stigmata. We had the great privilege of celebrating mass in the chapel built on the very spot where he received those holy wounds.  

Like St. Paul, Francis received the marks of the Jesus on his Body. In this way he was conformed even more to his Lord, who he sought to imitate in, preaching, prayer, and of course poverty. For his embrace of holy poverty, he was given the title “Il poverello”—the little poor one. Among all his works, even probably more than bearing the stigmata, francis is known for his poverty.

“Poverty” Francis shared with his brothers, “is that heavenly virtue by which all earthy and transitory things are trodden under foot, and by which every obstacle is removed from the soul so that it may freely enter into union with the eternal Lord God. It is also the virtue which makes the soul, while still here on earth, converse with the angels in Heaven. It is she who accompanied Christ on the Cross, was buried with Christ in the Tomb, and with Christ was raised and ascended into Heaven, for even in this life she gives to souls who love her the ability to fly to Heaven, and she alone guards the armor of true humility and charity.”

If anything, St. Francis reminds us of the great importance of stripping away that which keeps us from loving Christ. There needs to be an element of holy poverty in the life of every Catholic, where strip away what is not necessary, what hinders us in the spiritual life, and keeps us from imitating our Savior. Through the intercession of il poverello of Assisi, may we be generous in seeking simplicity, practicing poverty, and carrying our crosses, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis on this his patronal feast, for the grace to bring renewal to those parts of the Church which are crumbling—a renewal of true faith, where faith has diminished or been corrupted.

For blessings upon all members of the Franciscan Orders, for vocations and that their witness may bring renewal to the Church.

For hope for the despairing and all those who suffer.

For the grace of perfect charity to fill our hearts for those in need.

That all God’s Holy People will be filled with the wisdom and discernment needed to know and obey God’s Holy Will.

For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, for the deceased priests and religious and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

August 04 2020 - St. John Vianney - The holy parish priest

There is a statue outside of the town of Ars, the little town in eastern France, of the famous meeting between the newly appointed pastor of Ars trying to find his way to his parish and a young child from Ars who showed him the way. At foot of this statue is inscribed the famous words of the Cure of Ars, “Show me the way to Ars and I will show you the way to heaven.”

When Fr. John Vianney uttered those words, he wasn’t just being pious. Helping the souls under his care to find the way to heaven was his all encompassing mission. For him, being a pastor wasn’t simply a nine-to-five job—he not only gave it everything he had, but did so to heroic lengths. And for this heroic effort, cooperating with the will of God, he became a saint, and not just a saint, but the patron saint of priests.

Last year, when I made pilgrimage with Bishop Perez to Rome and Assisi, my classmates and I, continued our pilgrimage outside of Italy, to Ars, so that we could visit and pray at the parish of John Vianney. We visited the rectory containing the bedroom in which the devil started a fire to try to scare the holy pastor away from the parish. We saw the pulpit where hundreds would gather to try to hear his soft voice delivering powerful sermons from heaven. We saw the confessional, where the holy confessor would hear thousands of confessions, sometimes for 18 hours a day—the confessional in which the devil appeared to him and said, if there were but three more priests like you, I would be finished. And we celebrated Mass on the altar containing the saints incorrupt relics. 

Sometimes we think that evangelization is a matter of knowing the best arguments to convince people that Catholicism is the One True Faith.  But, what is eminently more powerful than a strong logical argument is authentic holiness.  Of course that does not relieve us from knowing our catechism—John Vianney taught the most popular catechism lessons in France.  But soley quoting the catechism will not bring people back to Church.   

It’s not the number of words or arguments that is needed, but Christ speaking through the few words we offer.  John Vianney was effective in bringing souls to Christ and leading them to heaven, because he cooperated with grace, he decreased, through fervent prayer, fasting, mortification, and heroic faithfulness to his pastoral duties, that Christ might increase, in himself, and in his parishioners, may we do the same, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

 

That St. John Vianney, Patron of Parish Priests, may increase the faith, hope, and charity of the priests of the Church, particularly those priests experiencing vocational crisis.

For a deeper love for and devotion to the Eucharist, for those who do not believe in the Real Presence, for the spread of the Eucharistic Reign of Christ in society.

For an increase in devotion to the Sacrament of Confession, that souls may approach the mercy seat of Christ with true repentance and confidence in the Lord’s grace.

That our young people on summer vacation may remain close to Jesus through prayer, attendance at Holy Mass with their families, repentance through Sacramental Confession, and faithfulness to all the teachings of Christ. We pray to the Lord.

For the sick and afflicted, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, for victims of natural disaster, war, violence, and terrorism, for the mentally ill, those with addictions, and the imprisoned, for the comfort of the dying and the consolation of their families. We pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased priests, especially the deceased pastors and priests of our parish and our diocese, and for N., for whom this mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord.

 

August 5 2019 - St. Mary Major Basilica - Christmas in August

My pilgrimage to Rome at the end of May took me to the beautiful basilica whose dedication we celebrate today. The present basilica of St. Mary Major was built in the fifth century, not long after the Council of Ephesus affirmed Mary’s title as “Mother of God.”  The basilica is the largest and oldest church in the world honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It stands atop one of Rome’s seven hills, and despite many restorations, still has the character of an early Roman basilica, in fact, it inspired the architectural design of this Church of St. Ignatius in many ways.

For four hundred years today’s feast was called “Our Lady of the Snows”.  According to legend, the basilica was constructed on the site where the Mother of God produced a miraculous mid-summer snow fall and left her footprints as a sign.  The legend has been long celebrated by releasing a shower of white rose petals from the dome of the basilica every August 5.

Below the Basilica’s main altar are relics from the manger of Bethlehem, in which Mary laid the newborn Savior of the World.  At the Basilica, in a sense, it is Christmas every day as groups of pilgrims will approach the manger and sing the beautiful Christmas hymn “Silent Night”. And I can say that it was deeply moving to sing “silent night” in this roman basilica, with 25 other priests from the diocese of Cleveland and our Bishop, and to imagine that the Christ Child was laid in this very manger.

The Christmas Creche is such a powerful symbol of our faith. It’s a symbol that our Good God chose to be born in the poverty of our world, that his mother who embraced him with such tender love, embraces us as well, and teaches us how to embrace her son, as well. And then to be make pilgrimage to this ornate basilica, to see the Creche adorned with gold and jewels, is to share in the Church’s veneration throughout the centuries. Christians have made the basilica so immensely beautiful, they’ve adorned the Creche so beautifully, because our faith is beautiful, and that beauty leads us to love, it leads us to God.

At the beginning of the Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis opened the holy doors at St. Mary Major and said, “Let us allow Mary to lead us to the rediscovery of the beauty of an encounter with her Son Jesus.

May Our Lady help us live out our beautiful faith, lived in the poverty of the world, that it may lead many to an encounter with Christ the Savior, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That Our Lady may lead all people to the love of Christ, protect the Church from all evil, and aid us in the mission of the Gospel.

That all government leaders may be awakened to the supreme dignity of every human life, and that all people of our nation may work together for an end to the culture of death.

That through Immaculate Mary, Queen of Peace, hatred, violence, and cruelty will cease in the world, especially today, we pray for the victims of the mass shootings around our country.

That the sick may draw strength, consolation, and healing by turning to Our Lady, who
intercedes for us from her place in heaven.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

November 16 2017 - St. Margaret of Scotland - A pilgrim's reflection

I’ve been awaiting this day for several months. Last summer, I was able to make a pilgrimage to the land of St. Margaret of Scotland. It was my first time visiting a former Catholic country, a country in which Catholicism flourished for centuries, particularly through the efforts and sanctity of today’s saint, but which has become catastrophically secular and anti-Catholic.

It was traumatic for me to see not only closed Churches, by defaced Churches and ancient monasteries beyond repair. St. Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh, formerly a great Catholic Cathedral had been clearly stripped of much of its Roman art and statuary. Monasteries, which predate Queen Margaret by centuries, and also many which she helped to establish had been ransacked and left to crumble by the Scottish reformers. The pilgrimage was very sad at times. But, the petition for the reconversion of Scotland was a perpetual prayer throughout my trip.

I particularly prayed at the places where St. Margaret is still honored by the Scottish Catholics. I stayed near a placed called Queensferry, named after Queen Margaret, where she established a ferry offering free passage across the river Fife for pilgrims traveling to the great shrine of the Apostle St. Andrew.

Wife of the King and mother of eight children, St. Margaret’s sanctity was clearly seen in her compassion, energy, and commitment to the relief of the suffering poor in the midst of extreme political and social upheaval. Sadly, visiting Scotland now is also a reminder how the work of the saints is undone by evil which roots itself in men’s hearts. That is a danger not just in Scotland, but every land.

But I believe rediscovering the holy lives of the saints, turning to their intercession and striving to follow their example helps to win back lost territory for Christ, if not simply the territory of our hearts and minds and souls.

St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland could have indulged in the luxuries of the royal court, and as queen, had any earthly desire satisfied.  But she first and foremost sought to become a saint, and she teaches us to do the same, for the Glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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We pray for the Church in Scotland, that her members may continue to resist the forces of secularism and heresy and be strengthened in their witness to the saving Gospel of Christ.

For those who have fallen into error, for Catholics who have grown lukewarm in their faith, for those who have left the Church, for their conversion and the conversion of all hearts.

For all those struggling with addiction, mental illness, chronic sickness, unemployment, or ongoing trials of any kind: that they will be fortified and blessed with God’s special favor, healing and peace.  We pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased clergy and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom.

O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.

June 29, 2017 - Saints Peter and Paul - Catholicity and Unity

Towards the end of my first parish assignment at St. Columbkille in Parma, I was able to lead a wonderful pilgrimage to Rome. Our very first stop, after the 8 hour flight, was the Basillica of Saint Paul’s.  There, one is able to kneel and pray before the relics of Saint Paul himself, the Great Apostle to the Gentiles, who was martyred in Rome.

Kneeling before the relics of the man who gave so much, who suffered so much, who traveled through rapid rivers, steep mountains, malaria-plagued lowlands, and bandit-ridden passages, endured robbers, attempted assassinations, imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom all for the sake of the Gospel, all out of love for Jesus Christ, I thought, here is one of the great men of history, the heroes, an exemplar of the Christian life.  St. Paul pray for us.

No pilgrimage to Rome is complete without visiting the Basilica of Saint Peter. The basilica’s altar sits directly over Saint Peter’s. Pilgrims kneel there, in prayer, and in awe, before the holy relics of the man Jesus Christ himself called “the rock, upon whom I build my Church.”

One is struck by the shear of pilgrims in Rome: thousands and thousands of people, from all over the world, in pilgrimage and devotion. Among the relics of Peter and Paul, one truly encounters the Church’s Catholicity: comprised of living stones of people of every race, nation, and tongue.

Pope Benedict XVI wrote how it was fitting how both Peter and Paul came to Rome, the city that was the place of convergence for all people, which would become the primary place of the “universality of the Gospel.”

Interestingly, though the body of Paul is buried in the Basilica of Saint Paul and the body of Peter is buried in the Basillica of Saint Peter’s, the relics of their heads are enshrined in the Cathedral of Rome, the basilica of St. John Lateran. We celebrate the feast of the dedication of Saint John Lateran every year on November 9. For it is there among the heads of Peter and Paul, where the Pope, exercises his headship over the whole Church throughout the whole world.  To be faithful to Christ is to look to the leadership of Peter’s Successor.

Today’s feast reminds us that the Christian Faith is not something that the individual creates for himself, or a religion that we live out in isolation in our tiny corner of the world.  Christianity is something we have received from the Apostles on behalf of Jesus Christ, and that we live out in union with Christians throughout the whole world.  In great gratitude for our faith, and through the intercession of Peter, the rock, and Paul, the fearless preacher, may we give ourselves fully in generous and selfless service of the Gospel for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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The Lord Jesus built his Church on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. In faith let us pray.

The Lord prayed that the faith of Peter would not fail, may the Lord strengthen the faith of His Church and protect her from all dangers.

The Lord appeared to Peter after his resurrection and appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, may he make us steadfast proclaimers of His resurrection.

The Lord called Peter, a fisherman, to be a fisher of men, may he raise up new vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life.

The Lord mercifully forgave Peter’s denials, may he have mercy upon all sinners, and all those who suffer illness or any other need.

The Lord gave Peter the keys of the kingdom, may the gates of that kingdom be open to all who trusted in Christ’s mercy while still on earth.

Heavenly Father, graciously hear the prayers of your pilgrim Church on this great Solemnity and grant our prayers of petition through Christ, Our Lord.

May 26 2017 - St. Philip Neri - Pilgrimage & the Miracle of the Heart

As the home of the Pope and his Curia, as well as the locus of many sites and relics of veneration related to the apostles, saints, and martyrs; Rome has been a destination for pilgrims for most of Christian history.

Rome was certainly the destination for today’s saint, Philip Neri. He was born in Florence. And already when he was just about five years old, he was known as “good little Philip” by his parents because of his innocence and obedience. At age 8, he almost died, a horse fell on top of him crushing him to the ground, but when he emerged unscathed he credited his preservation to God, and dedicated his life to God’s service. He went to Rome to study philosophy and theology, although the divine truths were so clear in his mind he didn’t have to study much, the only two books he owned were the bible and the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas.

St. Philip seemed surrounded by celestial splendor, holiness radiated from him, the effect of his angelic purity which he never lost despite the many temptations of Rome. He always maintained sexual innocence and his virginity. He was fiercely tempted by his flesh and the devil, but he won these battles by fasting and mortification.

In 1548, together with his confessor, Neri founded the Confraternity of the Most Holy Trinity of Pilgrims and Convalescents whose primary object was to minister to the needs of the thousands of poor pilgrims who flocked to Rome, especially in jubilee years.

There is a special tradition, started by St. Philip Neri, of visiting the seven pilgrim churches of Rome, a tradition I was able to partake of when I visited Rome the first time.

Philip would often make pilgrimages to the catacombs where he would pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit and venerate the relics of the martyrs. In the catacomb of St. Sebastian, Philip witnessed a great miracle. A few days before Pentecost in 1544, while he making a late night vigil, praying for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, when a globe of fire, entered into his mouth and lodged in his chest; he was filled with the tremendous fire of love and he almost couldn’t bear it. When the doctors examined his body after death, they discovered that the saint’s heart had been dilated so much under this powerful impulse of love, that in order that it might have sufficient room to beat, two ribs had been miraculously broken and curved in the form of an arch.

Each of us need to make a pilgrimage of love from time to time. It should be a sacrifice, it should take some time, some effort, and done for the soul purpose of honoring God. And if we make that pilgrimage, our hearts will expand.

May St. Philip Neri inspire us to make that journey for God, that our love for God might increase so to become every greater instruments in his service, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That the merciful love of the Good Shepherd may fill the hearts of all of the ordained.

That the entire church might emulate the sacrifice and charity of the saints.

For all the safety of all travelers, especially those who make pilgrimages to the Holy Places.

That the love of Christ, the divine physician, may bring healing and comfort to the sick.

O God, who know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the prayers of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our Lord.