Born Philip de Las Casas in Mexico City, Philip’s parents sought to educate him in the ways of the Lord and provide him with a pious education. As a child, however, Philip demonstrated little care of interest for their holy teachings, and it was not until he reached the age of consent that he resolved to change his ways and entered the Reformed Franciscan Convent of Santa Barbara at Pueblo. However, not yet able to separate himself from the world, Philip experienced difficulties in the convent and soon withdrew from the novitiate.
Philip’s father was heartbroken, and sent his son to the Philippines on a business errand. There, Philip more strongly felt the calling of the Lord to religious service, and following a period of prayer, entered the Franciscan Convent of Our Lady of the Angels in Manila, this time dedicating himself fully to God. He took his vows at the age of twenty-two, and was professed a friar. Dispatched to return to Mexico, the ship he and the other religious were taken was driven into the coast of Japan by a fierce storm. During the storm, Philip reported experiencing a vision of a white cross hovering over the island, which gradually turned to a blood-red hue, remaining in that appearance. Philip understood this a sign of the victory of martyrdom he was to endure while preaching to the Japanese, and willingly went ashore when ordered to do so, seeking an audience with the emperor.
Unable to visit with the emperor, Philip and his companions traveled to Macao, to a house of the Franciscan Order that had been established there. During that time, the emperor became fearful of the presence of the Christians, and ordered them executed. In December, Saint Philip, along with the Franciscans, three Jesuits, and several pupils were arrested. Saint Philip, for his part, was filled with joy at his sentence of execution, ready to lay down his life for the Lord. His left ear was cut off, and the group was led to Nagasaki, where they were crucified on a high hill. Prior to being affixed to his cross, Saint Philip exclaimed, “O happy ship! O happy galleon for Philip, lost for my gain! Loss—no loss for me, but the greatest of all gain!" He was bound to the cross, but the footrest beneath him gave way, so that he was strangled by the cords. While repeating the holy name of Jesus, Saint Philip was the first among the martyrs to die.
The story of Saint Philip’s martyrdom reached Mexico City, where his family commissioned statues of the holy man, and devotion spread throughout the region. Today, Saint Philip of Jesus is considered one of the patron saints of that city.
The life of Saint Philip of Jesus is not a typical saint story. Saint Philip stumbled along the path to holiness, inconsistently committing himself to service to the Lord. He disappointed his parents, and fully pursued the pleasures of the world, prior to allowing himself to fully embrace the call of the Lord. He is, in many ways, like all of us. We pray, that like Saint Philip of Jesus, we may—through the power of prayer—turn to the Lord with our whole heart, body, and mind, and commit to His powerful and wonderful plan for our lives!
I know that this is because we still walk in the shadows of faith while on earth, relying on the testimony of those who have seen and believed.
But I am still affected to some extent and somewhat shaken by such doubts. Make me realize that our doubts are the price which we have to pay for the fulfillment of the universe in Christ and the very condition of that fulfillment.
We must be prepared to press on to the end along a road on which each step makes us more certain, toward horizons that are ever more shrouded in mists.
All the while we bring forth fruits worthy of our new life such as charity, joy, and service of others. In so doing, we ourselves become for others living signs of the power of Christ's resurrection which the Holy Spirit sets in motion in the Church. Amen.
Year 2: Day 36 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Turning to the Lord.
Requested Intentions: Successful employment (N): Freedom from mental illness for a friend (L); For successful marriage (N); For friends having and recovering from surgery; for the reduction of a brain tumor (L); For resolution of a housing crisis (P); For a brother who is struggling financially, for a son who is struggling academically (B); For financial security for a friend (C); Success in business; familial happiness and health (J); Health and recovery of a sister (I); Development of a chaste relationship pleasing to the Lord (E); Successful surgery of mother; delivery of daughters’ babies (L); For a friend suffering with depression (M); For a friend entering religious life (R); Success of a parish men’s retreat (H); For a mother who is grieving; for the soul of a dearly departed son (M); Reconciliation of a marriage (M); End to grief after death of son (B&C); End to grief (S); Successful marriage (N); For an RCIA candidate struggling with financial and family stressors (O); Freedom from anxiety regarding medical procedure (J); Return home of an ill mother, peace and financial security (J); Healing of a father following stroke (S).
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