St. Philip Neri is known as the patron saint of joy, because he was convinced that cheerfulness should be a mark of those who follow Christ.
He loved jokes, and enjoyed playing tricks, and undoubtedly this good humor was at least part of the reason that he was such a popular reformer, able to unite people of different views in a common love for Our Lord.
Here are five quotes from the fun-loving saint to help us live in better spirits.
- Be often reading the lives of saints for inspiration and instruction.
- Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and helps us to persevere. A servant of God ought always to be in good spirits. Charity and cheerfulness, or charity and humility, should be our motto.
- Hate no one. God never comes where there is no love for our neighbors.
- He who continues in anger, strife, and a bitter spirit has a taste of the air of Hell.
- Our enemy, the devil, who fights with us in order to vanquish us, seeks to disunite us in our houses, and to breed quarrels, dislikes, contests and rivalries because while we are fighting with each other, he comes and conquers us and makes us more securely his own.
Read more:
Why St. Philip Neri is known as the “humorous saint”
And today we celebrate...