Little Office of St Philip

 An edition of the Little Hymnodic Office of Saint Philip has just been translated and produced. Originally published in Florence in 1878, but probably older in origin, this very short office comprises verses of a longer Philippine hymn, an antiphon, a responsory and collect for each of the (old) canonical hours, except Lauds. It contains, unusually for a little office, no psalmody and so it is extremely short, taking some few minutes to say each hour.

Presumably, due to the exclusion of psalms, this work was intended primarily for the laity and perhaps for the Brothers of the Little Oratory in particular. The new edition is available in Latin only, in black and white, or in Latin with a parallel English (prose) translation in colour. It is a very happy circumstance that this work of translation by one of our own brothers has appeared in time for St. Philip's day.

Perhaps the most charming prayer is the hymn which appears split up between the hours in the booklet. The translator took the decision not to attempt to versify the translation, but rather to follow Gueranger's example in his Année Liturgique, and simply give a good prose translation. In order to provide readers of this Magazine with a taste of this small devotional work, I intend to spend the rest of this article in looking at what the hymn of this Office gives us to meditate on in the life of St Philip.

In the first hour Matins, the morning office, the hymn reminds us of St Philip's fear of God from his youth, of how all that he did was motivated by this love and fear of God. As St Paul reminds his readers, in the case of most people, even those for whom God is important, they "... seek their own; not the things that are Jesus Christ's." But this is not the case for St Philip. He even gives up a substantial inheritance on what men of the world would see as a foolish whim and sets out for Rome not knowing what he intends to do – or rather what God wishes of him in that great city.

The next verse of the hymn recalls the days when St Philip lived as a hermit in the midst of Rome near the Pantheon but in his heart far removed from the noise of central Rome – and often seeking out secluded spots outside the city, hallowed by the martyrs. In these early days he prepares for his mission by prayer, fasting and scourging himself in order to dominate his flesh. But even as he prepares for his mission he cannot contain his love for souls. To see others who are not in love with God as much as he without trying to encourage them themselves to grow in this love is too much for him.

Terce is the hour at which the Holy Ghost is said to have come down upon the Apostles, and so it is that in the Traditional Office the Church sings a hymn, the Nunc sancte nobis Spiritus to the Holy Ghost – and on Pentecost Sunday this hymn is replaced with the Veni Creator Spiritus. So we can see how appropriate it is that the compiler of this Little Office has chosen to remind us of St Philip's own Pentecost, when on Pentecost Eve 1544, the Holy Ghost came down and inflamed his heart with the love of God. This heart of his already so much in love with God now burns and is enlarged with the fire of love.

At Sext the hymn turns to St Philip spurning the honours of the world. Despite becoming the centre of Roman life and a friend of the popes and many of the highest nobility, he lives among all these glorious surroundings still as though he were in the desert. He encourages his spiritual children to mortify themselves – especially their pride so that they might not worry about defending their own honour or seeking to be praised by others. For St Philip and his true followers the only reward worth having is Christ Himself and union with Him forever in heaven.

At the Ninth hour, the hour of our Lord's death and the seeming triumph of the power of darkness we turn to the Devil's attacks on St Philip. Like many saints, the Cure of Ars among them, he was assaulted, sometimes literally by the Devil. Also men who were jealous of his sanctity and of what they thought was his great influence sought to have his work stopped in Rome. But the hymn shows St Philip always remaining patient in every adversity and so overcoming the world and the devil.

At Vespers, the evening Office, we contemplate St Philip as the great miracle worker. He shines with the gift of prophecy, heals the sick, restores the dead to life and (by means of bilocation) he has the power to come to those who call upon his aid though they are far distant. His greatest miracle, the raising to life of Paolo Massimo should be remembered particular at this hour. Every year on this day, the 16th March, the Palace of the Princely family of the Massimi is opened to the public and masses are offered to thank God for the power He manifested through St Philip.

The last hour we come to is Compline and so we prepare for sleep. It is fitting that we now turn to our saint's death. Having been strengthened by a vision of our Lady, to whom he has always been devoted, our Holy Father Philip raises his eyes to heaven and dies blessing his children on 25th May 1595. And so ends the life of one who lived, as Fr Faber puts it, "one half in heaven, one half on earth." To all of us who are children of St Philip is given in our own Saint an enduring model to aim at imitating. And this Little Office is the perfect tool to help us remember what virtues we are to imitate and what examples we may take from his life. And by the means of prayer which this Little Office affords us we are given the help we need to achieve these ends so that daily we may become more and more truly moulded in the School of St Philip.
 
The Little Office is available in Latin only, in black and white (£1.75) or in Latin with a parallel English (prose) translation in colour (£3.50). Both versions are available in the Oratory Bookshop.