“…Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us….” (Psalm 90:17) As 2024 gets rolling, I’ve noticed lots of folks have chosen their inspirati…
St. Philip Neri in levitation, fresco by unknown (1600 ca.) from Vallicella rooms of the saint, Chiesa Nuova, Rome. / Credit: Francesco Cantone/ShutterstockRome, Italy, May 26, 2023 / 01:00 am (CNA).On the via Appia Antica, beyond the Aurelian walls, sits the ancient basilica of San Sebastiano fuori le Mura. It is one of the most important churches in Rome, not only because it is one of the seven pilgrimage churches of Rome, but also because it is where the remains of Sts. Peter and Paul were taken (it was known as "Basilica Apostolorum" before it was dedicated to St. Sebastian) during the Christian persecution. It is also here, deep in the catacombs that lie beneath the extant basilica, where St. Philip Neri had his spiritual epiphany on the eve of Pentecost in 1544. It is here where the beloved Second Apostle of Rome committed himself to a life of charity.Early life, arrival in Rome, and the catacombsBorn in 1515 to a wealthy Florentine family, the young Filippo Neri w
It is fitting, then, that his spiritual epiphany happened there at Pentecost. Asking God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, it came down as a great ball of fire.