St. Philip Neri

In the process of developing our new shave soap and after shave oil, it reminded me of my son. At about four years old, he was sitting on the bathroom counter watching his dad shave, laughing at how silly he looked with one section of his face clean shaven and the other still covered in lather. He wanted to shave, too, so my husband removed the blade from the razor, rubbed some lather on his little cheeks, and they “shaved” together, making faces and poking fun at themselves in the mirror. Then, patting on some after shave, they jutted their chins out, turning their heads side to side, admiring their work. Together, with my son’s trust in his father and my husband’s humility to connect with his son they found humor and joy in that moment. Neither of them worried about how they looked; they were open to sharing this diversion that brought joy and laughter to something that was simply part of my husband’s usual routine.

“Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us persevere in a good life; wherefore the servant of God ought always to be in good spirits. -St. Philip Neri

While Saint Philip Neri took his faith very seriously, he did not do so with himself. He shared his faith with creativity and joy, attracting people to his cheerful spirit. St. Philip was gifted at implementing humility into his teachings by using humor to counter things like self importance and pride. He appeared in public after shaving off only half his beard and purposely pronounced words incorrectly. In doing so, he not only exposed his imperfections but allowed others to see and accept their own.

“your light must shine so that it can be seen by others; this will enable them to observe your good works and give praise to your Father in heaven.” -Matthew 5:16

May 26th Feast day of Saint Philip Neri, patron saint of joy and laughter.

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