PHILIP
19
PHILIP
and exhorting them to serve God. In 1544, or later,
he became the friend of St. Ignatius. Many of his
disciples tried and found their vocations in the in-
fant Society of Jesus; but the majority remained in
the world, and formed the nucleus of what afterwards
became the Brotherhood of the Little Oratory.
Though he "appeared not fasting to men", his pri-
vate life was that of a hermit. His single daily meal
was of bread and water, to which a few herbs were
sometimes added, the furniture of his room consisted
of a bed, to which he usually preferrred the floor, a
table, a few chairs, and a rope to hang his clothes on;
and he disciphned himself frequently with small
chains. Tried by fierce temptations, diabolical as
well as human, he passed through them all unscathed,
and the purity of his soul manifested itself in certain
striking physical traits. He prayed at first mostly
in the church of S. Eustachio, hard by Caccia's house.
Next he took to visiting the
Seven Churches. But it was
in the catacomb of S. Sebas-
tiano — confounded by early
biographers with that of S.
Callisto — that he kept the
longest vigils and received
the most abundant consola-
tions. In this catacomb, a
few days before Pentecost in
1544, the well-known mir-
acle of his heart took place.
Bacci describes it thus:
"While he was with the
greatest earnestness asking
of the Holy Ghost His gifts,
there appeared to him a
globe of fire, which entered
into his mouth and lodged in
his breast; and thereupon he
was suddenly surprised with
such a fire of love, that, un-
able to bear it, hethrew him-
self on the ground, and, hke
one trying to cool himself,
bared his breast to temper in
some measure the flame
which he felt . When he had
remained so for some timi ,
and was a little recovered,
he rose up full of unwonte^ 1
joy, and immediately all hi.-
body began to shake with a
violent tremour; and put-
ting his hand to his bosom,
he felt by the side of his
heart, a swelling about as
big as a man's fist, but neither then nor afterwards was it attended with the shghtest pain or wound." The cause of this swelling was discovered by the doctors who examined his bodv after death. The
him as to whether he should not discontinue his active
work and retire into absolute solitude. His perplexity
was set at rest by a \-ision of St. John the Baptist,
and by another vision of two souls in glory, one of
whom was eating a roll of bread, signifying God's
will that he should live in Rome for the good of souls
as though he were in a desert, abstaining a,s far as
possible from the use of meat.
In 1551, however, he received a true vocation from God. At the bidding of his confessor — nothing short of this would overcome his humilitj- — he entered the priesthood, and went to live at .S. Girolamo, where a staff of chaplains was supported by the Confraternity of Charity. Each priest had two rooms assigned to him, in which he lived, slept, and ate, under no rule save that of living in charity with his brethren. Among Philip's new companions, besides Persiano Rosi n Is Buonsignore Cicciaguerra (see "A Pre- cursor of St.PhiHp"by Lady \mabel Kerr, London), a remarkable penitent , who was at that time carrj-ing on a vigorous propaganda m favour of frequent Com- munion. Philip, who as a li\man had been quietly encouraging the frequent reception of the sacraments, expended the whole of his priestly energj- in promoting the same cause; but unUke his precursor, he recom- mended the young especially to confess more often than they communicated. The church of S. Ciirolamo was much frequented even be- fore the coming of Philip, md his confessional there sdon became the centre of 1 mighty apostolate. He st ived in church, hearing lonfessions or ready to hear thtm, from daybreak till nearly midday, and not con- tent with this, he usually confessed some forty per- sonsinhisroom before dawn. Thus he laboured untiringly throughout his long priest- hood. As a physician of souls he received marvellous gifts from God. He would some- times tell a penitent his most secret sins without his con- fessmg them and once he converted a j-oung noble- man b^ showing him a i-ision of hell. Shortly before noon he would leave his confessional to say Mass. His devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, like the miracle of his heart, is one of those mani-
saint's heart had been dilated under the sudden im-
pulse of love, and in order that it might have suffi- testations of sanctity which are peculiarly his own.
cient room to move, two ribs had been broken, and
curved in the form of an arch. From the time of the
miracle till his death, his heart would palpitate vio-
lently whene\er he performed any spiritual action.
Daring his la.st years as a layman. Philip's aposto- late spread rapidly. In 1.54S. together with his con- fessor, Persiano Rosa, he founded the Confraternity of the Most Holy Trinity for looking after pilgrims and convalescents. Its members met for Communion,
So great was the fervour of his charity, that, instead of
recollecting himself before Mass, he had to use de-
liberate means of distraction in order to attend to the
external rite. During the last five years of his life
he had permission to celebrate privately in a little
chapel close to his room. At the "Agnus Dei" the
server went out, locked the doors, and hung up a
notice: "Silence, the Father is saj-ing Mass". When
he returned in two hours or more, the saint was so
prayer, and other spiritual exercises in the church of absorbed in God that he seemed to be at the point of
S. Salvatore, and the saint himself introduced exposi- death.
tion of the Blessed Sacrament once a month (see
Forty Hoirs' Devotion). .\t these devotions
Philip preached, though still a layman, and we learn
that on one occasion alone he converted no less than
Phihp devoted his afternoons to men and boys, ^-
viting them to informal meetings in his room, taking
them to visit churches, interesting himself in their
amusements, hallowing with his sweet influence every
thirty dissolute youths. In 1550 a doubt occurred to department of their hves. At one time he had a long-
