This past Wednesday evening, Sept. 23, Rev. Matthew Gossett, pastor of Triumph of the Cross Parish, gave a prayerful reflection on the beloved Saint Philip Neri. A small crowd gathered in Thomas More Hall for this entertaining and heartfelt talk.  

Born in Florence 1515, little Pippo Buono came into a world “in a lot of mess,” Gossett began. At this time, Italy was split by petty politics, ecclesiastics wallowed in worldliness and despair, the sack of Rome was imminent and Luther was about to cleave Christendom into pieces. “It was wild providence that Philip Neri lived when he did,” Gossett reflected. “God responds in beautiful ways [to crisis] … when the Church is in need He gives us grace.” 

And above all, Gossett reminded us that God gives us saints. “You never see saints in isolation,” he said. Teresa of Avila, Ignatius of Loyola, Charles Borromeo, Philip Neri and many others all emerged in conjunction, strengthening and encouraging one another. “Who is in my life leading me to sanctity?” Gossett asked, challenging us to form communities striving together for holiness. 

This, he maintained, is just what Philip Neri did for Rome. “He called people to a higher level,” asking even complete strangers: “What good will we do today?” St. Philip Neri was a master of “bringing people into God’s mercy.” 

Perfectionism is “such a plague today,” Gossett reflected, but Philip Neri’s example can help obtain for the faithful, “the grace and courage to move beyond [shame and perfectionism].” 

Gossett pointed to Neri’s “beautiful capacity for seeing the heart of other people.” His heart, grown miraculously large, would beat so loudly for others that he was known as “the saint of the earthquake.” 

While we often see each other only at the surface level, Philip Neri “teaches us to see the heart.” Gossett recounted Philip’s gentle and paternal care for Cesare Baronius, the proud melancholic who became the famous and holy Church historian. 

Gosset implored listeners to consider the ordinary virtues of Philip Neri, which can be implemented in daily life. He referred to kindness and humility especially.  

He ended by quoting Cardinal Newman, who said that Philip Neri, the second apostle of Rome, “changed the culture, but he did so little by little and he did it through kindness.” Gossett challenged listeners to do the same.  

An intimate discussion followed considering how Philip Neri’s example can inspire our own journeys toward holiness. The whole event was well received and met with much laughter in honor of the beloved saint.