Lectio et Oratio

Did miracles cease after St Philip was buried?

No. We begin about two weeks of readings relating all the marvellous things that occurred in people's lives who visited the tomb of St Philip shortly after he died. This episode's reading is interesting because a man full of anxiety and concern about a big decision visited the tomb. During his lifetime, St Philip would touch the man's heart and his anxieties would flee. Would St Philip still be able to help him in this way?

Last episode we read about a laywoman in the world who was very close to St Philip. How St Philip wanted people in the world to have a little devotion. How he wanted them to love the Eucharist. How he wanted them to take care of Christ in the poor. St Philip would lead people from the earliest stages of the spiritual life to the heights of divine union. God wants us to see him as a Bridegroom. He belongs to us and we to Him. He is ours and we are His.

Did miracles cease after St Philip was buried?

No. We begin about two weeks of readings relating all the marvellous things that occurred in people's lives who visited the tomb of St Philip shortly after he died. This episode's reading is interesting because a man full of anxiety and concern about a big decision visited the tomb. During his lifetime, St Philip would touch the man's heart and his anxieties would flee. Would St Philip still be able to help him in this way?

Last episode we read about a laywoman in the world who was very close to St Philip. How St Philip wanted people in the world to have a little devotion. How he wanted them to love the Eucharist. How he wanted them to take care of Christ in the poor. St Philip would lead people from the earliest stages of the spiritual life to the heights of divine union. God wants us to see him as a Bridegroom. He belongs to us and we to Him. He is ours and we are His.

Did St Philip's body have a sweet smell after he died?

Yes. This smell of flowers was not evident to all, but only to some. St Philip reserved this for a woman who was especially devoted to the poor. The Lord wants us to be a fragrant offering to his Father. He wants us to be a sweet fragrance that draws others to Himself.

Was there difficulties about where to bury St Philip?

Yes. The Oratorian Fathers planned to bury St Philip in the common burial place that all the Oratorians would make use of after they died. But two powerful cardinals, long time friends of St Philip, persuaded the Oratorians to put St Philip in a more honoured place. The Fathers were reluctant to do so. Would they be treating St Philip as a saint, before the Church had spoken? In the end, they followed the advice of the Cardinals.

We read about three healings that occurred after St Philip died. God saw fit to make us of roses that were touching St Philip's body while it rested on the funeral bier. God also made use of pieces of St Philip's hair. The same Lord who worked miracles by spittle and dirt and the fringe of his garment and the handkerchief of St Peter continued to work miracles through material things. Let us pray for faith. The Word truly became flesh and dwelt among us.

We read about a family that St Philip took an interest in after he died. Three of the four members were suffering from various ailments.They came to visit the body of St Philip. They took his hand and touched the places that were diseased. They were healed. Should we be surprised that God would use the hands of a priest, a deceased priest, to work miracles? Everyday God uses the hands of a priest as his instruments for the greatest miraculous change. A priest takes the bread into his hands as Christ did at the Last Supper. And when he repeats Christ"s words, there in the priest"s hands, the bread is transubstantiated into Christ"s own body.

Last episode we read about the condition of St Philip's heart when the doctors performed the autopsy. In the heart of St Philip, so muscular, so unusual, even enlarged beyond what is normal is some places, God was giving the Church a sign. God sent St Philip to Rome as a living sign of His love for the Church. In 1544, the Holy Spirit visited St Philip in a unique way and supernaturally enflamed and enlarged his heart. St Philip lived with this supernatural heart condition for over fifty years. Let us ask the Lord to fill us with a true love for the Church!