In the catacombs of Rome, a very strange thing was about to occur.

It was the day before Pentecosts.

At twilight, a man named Philip had entered the tunnels to pray.

It was probably safer to do so below ground. Rome was

volatile. To the west it faced a civil war. To the north a new kind of Germanic revolution.

Everywhere religious sects proclaiming Jesus' Lord inspired envy, suspicion, and fear.

The year was 1544, and it was not an easy time to follow Jesus. Not that Philip Nary

cared. He was lively with exceedingly bright eyes and a legendary sense of humor.

He served the poor, he held prayer meetings, he tried and eventually failed to avoid church

politics.

On the night in question in 1544 as Philip Nary prayed in the

catacombs the tunnel suddenly blazed with light.

Honestly, from nowhere a ball of fire appeared. It passed through Philip's praying mouth into his

chest and there burned as if it would turn his heart into blazing gold. At that moment, Philip experienced such a torrent of love that Nary

cried out, Enough God, I can take no more! He felt as though his heart had expanded.

In fact, it seemed to have expanded. Afterward, there was

a little dome on the left side of his chest, and whenever Philip was moved with compassion,

his heart would burn as though with fire. That is an extraordinary event, but

it was hardly Philip's only miraculous experience. He had heavenly visions, he fought

demons, he practically reconverted the

Eternal City, befriending the likes of Pius the 5th and Ignatius of Loyola

while brokering at least one era-defining peace deal. In the end they dubbed him the second

...