Reflections, Saints and their love for Mary 2023 / By

The Saints and Their Love for Mary

Saint Philip Neri

Statue of St. Philip Neri with Children, located in the Oratorian church in Bologna. This photo was taken by Lawrence OP and uploaded to Flickr; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

What was the secret of Philip Neri’s joy? It was the same secret that gave joy to Mary: a heart filled with the love of God. Philip believed that his Heavenly mother would obtain and share with him all the good things that she had in her life. He had confidence in Jesus and in Mary. Because of this great confidence, his life was filled with joy and laughter. Mary said, “My spirit rejoices in God, my Savior” and Philip, following her example, rejoiced always.