St Philip Neri: Last of All, We Must Die

 Today we read about St Philip Neri in the book In Caelo et in Terra. He was called the Socrates of Rome, because he would wander around the city talking to people, challenging them to think more deeply. He was a street walking evangelist, and reached out every day to the poor, the lame, and to the prostitutes of Rome with love and wisdom. He challenged everyone to grow closer to God and to deepen their faith.

After sixty years of doing this, he told his fellow priests, "And last of all, we must die." And the next morning, he joyfully breathed his last in this life.

You can read more about him here.

So much for us to gain from his life. But the thing I'll focus on today is that we all know we'll die one day. It's not a surprise. But how we die is up to us. We can prepare for it now, so that when it comes, we are "prayed up" and ready to see His face. We can tell those in our lives that we love them, and we can forgive those who have wronged us so we have no regrets when we, along with Philip Neri, breathe our last.

God, thanks for the great example in dying well that this man gives us. St Philip Neri, pray for us.