Crucified Orator new file

in these words: “My eyes are ever upon the LOrd, who frees my feet from the snare” (Ps 25:15). For the mind continually raised to the Lord is impenetrable to the suggestions of the enemy. Useful for this consideration is what Philip Neri 14 , the very holy priest and founder of the Congregation of the Oratory, related about himself. Every day he continually repeated the declaration that he would expand the wound in the side of Christ our Lord, if He, having bound his hands, does not place His hands upon his head. The head is the seat of thoughts. Thus Philip desired that his head continually remain in the hands of Christ, so that the accomplice of hell might not agitate his imagination with filthy images and poison his soul with pernicious thoughts. Miserable and falling sinner, in no other way will you preserve your soul free from dangerous fall, if you – along with the Psalmist – will not nag the Son of God with this request and unceasing supplication: “Into your hands,” Lord, “I commend my spirit” (Ps 31:6). To you I want to dedicate my thoughts. I do not wish to have or allow any other thoughts, except those that come from you or are about you or for you, o Jesus! To you I commend my spirit! Let us pass from the thought to the soul itself. The hellish thief plots to ambush it so very carefully and cleverly, that Peter, Leader and Father of the Church, considered it necessary to ad- monish us so that we be earnestly guarded from and cleverly es- cape him: Brothers, “be sober and vigilant. your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [some- one] to devour” (1 Pt 5:8). He could not more explicitly show us our danger for evaluation than by ascribing lion’s raging and roaring to the devil, and [saying] that we would be his prey, if we are not prudently and alertly vigilant. By roaring, the lion con- fines the prey which he desires to seize. The demon acts similarly to capture our soul. 14 St. Philip Neri (1515-1595) was the founder of the Oratorians. He catechized in public places, visited hospitals and cared for pilgrims. receiving holy orders, he founded a community of priests, from which arose the first Oratory. He is one of the most joyful saints. 73 T HE S EVENTH W Ord