About

I wrote these essays in 1999 and 2000 and posted them on a website I created and hosted for my parish in Novato, CA. I wrote them using the pseudonym, philneri.

St. Philip Neri was the saint I chose for my Confirmation. I thought using the whole name was too formal. philneri was a simpler name.

Zacchaeus was a tax collector mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. I have always had a fondness for Zacchaeus because I also was a tax collector for thirty-six years.

I also have a fondness for Zacchaeus based on the book by Thomas H. Green, S.J., “Come Down Zacchaeus”. In the introduction to his book, Fr. Green states, “[Jesus’] call to each of us is personal and unique. Peter, John, Andrew and the other apostles were called to leave everything to follow Jesus. Apparently, though, Zacchaeus never heard their call. For this reason I chose him as the patron of our reflections on lay spirituality. He was called to discipleship and to holiness while remaining in the world of his ordinary life”.

I hope you find some value in these essays. Please share your thoughts with me. You will find a link at the bottom of each essay with an email address.

philneri, July 2017