Morning Prayer: The Fire Given on the Memorial of St. Philip Neri

 


From Concluding Prayer: “In your love kindle in us the fire of the Holy Spirit who so filled the heart of Philip Neri.”

Because today is the Memorial of St. Philip Neri, the Church places this petition before us with deliberate intention. The saint’s life becomes the interpretive key for understanding what we are asking God to accomplish in us.

The meaning of the Spirit’s fire

In the language of Scripture and the liturgy, fire signifies the active presence of the Holy Spirit—purifying, strengthening, and transforming. It is the fire of Pentecost, the fire that enlightens the mind and enlarges the heart. When the Church prays for this fire, it is asking for the Spirit’s interior work: the reshaping of the person according to Christ.

The request begins with “In your love…” This is not ornamental. It establishes that the Spirit’s fire is not self‑generated fervor. It is God’s initiative, God’s charity, God’s work within us.

Philip Neri as today’s model of the Spirit’s action

Philip Neri is commemorated today not because of his temperament but because of the depth of his sanctification. Tradition holds that his heart was physically enlarged by the Holy Spirit—a visible sign of an interior reality. His charity was expansive, steady, and rooted entirely in God.

By invoking him in the concluding prayer, the Church directs our attention to what the Spirit can accomplish in a human life when it is fully surrendered to divine love. Philip Neri becomes a witness to the Spirit’s capacity to widen the heart for service, mercy, and joy.

What we ask for on his Memorial

To pray this line today is to ask for:

  • Purification — that the Spirit burn away whatever narrows or hardens the heart.

  • Enlargement of charity — the capacity to love with greater patience and generosity.

  • Interior freedom — freedom from self‑concern, rooted instead in God.

  • Apostolic readiness — the quiet availability to serve as God desires.

This is not a request for emotional intensity. It is a request for transformation—steady, interior, and real.

A prayer for the day

As we celebrate the Memorial of St. Philip Neri, the Church invites us to desire the same Spirit who shaped him. Not to imitate his outward manner, but to receive the same inward fire.


Note about Morning Prayer: Each morning prayer post reflects on one phrase from the Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. which can be found in the iBreviary (a downloadable app), Universalis (website) or Divine Office (publication and website).

post production may be assisted by AI in image generation and content (research and wording)


Read more Morning Prayer posts.

Morning Prayer posts inspired by Being Catholic in Troubled Times (Dennis Ortman)


Book Description:

These are times that try our souls. This book is addressed to all, not just Catholics, who search for deeper meaning in tough times. Our age is marked by division and alienation. We long for some message that will bring peace to our world and our hearts.

This book suggests that the Catholic faith can provide strength in these troubled times. The word "catholic" means "all-embracing, universal." Nothing is excluded in the catholic mind. The truth that sets us free can be found everywhere, especially in unexpected places. It is often hidden in plain sight. In our darkest moments, we find new light and life. When we are most despairing, a ray of hope shines through.



Dr. Dennis Ortman, former priest and current psychologist, is the author of Anger Anonymous, Anxiety Anonymous, Depression Anonymous, Being Catholic in Troubled Times, and Life, Liberty, and COVID-19.


For more posts by and about Dennis and his award-winning books, click HERE.



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