The Theology of St. Philip Neri

According to His Maxims and Sayings

De: St. John the Baptist Book Apostolate

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

WHY READ THIS BOOK?

The spirituality of St. Philip Neri was not directed towards intellectual pursuits (e.g., writing theology); but rather, it was animated in a working theology; that is, one which is lived out according to the Teachings of Christ onto the salvation of souls. As a result, he manifested (and thus inculcated) humility, compassion, and service into his disciples as expressions of the Divinity. Moreover, he showed us that theology is not merely an intellectual pursuit, but rather, a sacred activity focused on the bringing of Christ to others. With regards to his writings, the Saint left us very little. In fact, what he did write---he later (in an act of humility) burned. Thankfully, his disciples gathered together after his death to recollect and organize bits and pieces of his salvific wisdom. This became the basis for the three hundred and sixty six Maxims and Sayings translated by Fr. F. W. Faber in the nineteenth century. We have now organized these daily meditations and arranged them into thirty compartmentalized chapters in order to more clearly illustrate the active theology of St. Philip Neri---a great saver of souls, who is also the Church's Patron Saint of Joy.


WHAT IS CONTAINED IN THIS BOOK?

The contents of this little book are the three hundred and sixty six maxims and sayings of St. Philip Neri, as presented for example, in the recently published title, "Paradise was Not Made for Poltroons: Maxims and Sayings of St. Philip Neri" (See: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DR74VP78) categorically arranged into thirty separate chapters with sections and subsections added for clarity. A correspondingly developed Table of Contents is also included for ease of reference.


MOTIVATION BEHIND THIS BOOK

When we were preparing the book, “Paradise was Not Made for Poltroons: Maxims and Sayings of St. Philip Neri for Every Day of the Year” for publication, we noticed what appeared to be a theology contained therein. In order to bring it more clearly to light, we decided to categorize the three hundred and sixty six maxims and saying contained in Poltroons into various chapters, sections, and subsections. We took as our starting point, the forty-six chapter divisions used by St. Josemaria Escrivá in his celebrated book, The Way. From there, we placed each pensée of St. Philip Neri into exactly one of those categories to see what would transpire. As we did this, we added sections and subsections to the chapters; and in certain cases, modified titles. In many instances, a maxim or saying could easily have been placed in a multitude of places. Rather than repeat the quotation, we incorporated a cross-referencing approach.

As we neared completion, we saw that some of the chapters would remain empty. These were eliminated. Also, some of the nonempty chapters were very sparse; and hence, were either combined with others or left as they were. When all was done and said, thirty distinct chapters remained, each presenting pieces of the salutary wisdom of St. Philip Neri as found in the classic delineation of his Maxims and Sayings.

REGARDING THE "READ SAMPLE" FEATURE: For some reason, the number of "Read Sample" pages is very limited for this ebook. This same feature for the print version provides more. To get a good idea of how the daily meditations are presented in the ebook, please view the "Read Sample" pages for the print edition. We apologize for any inconvenience.