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Letters Twenty-Fifth
Sunday in Ordinary Time |
The Catholic Telegraph
September 20, 2002This Sunday’s reading begins a series of four selections from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. This letter is a letter of joy, full of warmth and affection, reflecting the special fondness that Paul felt for the church he had founded at Philippi, the first Christian community in Europe.
Paul is writing to the Philippians from prison, perhaps during his three-year stay at Ephesus (cf. Acts 19.23-41). The Philippians had been consistently generous to Paul, helping out in his times of need. Now he writes them this letter to bring them up to date about what is happening to him and to encourage them to faithfulness.
Paul leads up to our Sunday reading by telling the Philippians that his imprisonment is not without its blessings. The gospel continues to be preached, both in the prison and outside it. Some of the preachers seem to announce the gospel out of a sense of rivalry with Paul, but that’s not particularly important as long as the gospel is being proclaimed.
In our reading, Paul reflects on this situation. He is confident that God will be glorified by his ministry and life ("in my body") whatever happens to him ("whether by life or by death"). Either eventuality has something to be said for it, because both involve Christ. If he lives on in this world it will be a life of fruitful labor for Christ’s gospel. If he leaves this world, he enters a new life with Christ. He is not sure which alternative he would choose if the choice were his. He is inclined to want to leave the present life because being with Christ would be better than life here. At the same time, he knows that remaining alive here would bring blessing to the Philippians (and, presumably, to others as well).
The last sentence of the reading encourages the Philippians to live consistently with their faith. This sentence alludes to the direction in which Paul’s continued efforts would lead them, but also serves as a bridge to the instructions for the community which come next in the letter.
This reading offers us an interesting insight into Paul’s personal attitudes toward his life and ministry, toward his attitudes about death, toward the people he addressed in his ministry, toward his relationship with Christ Jesus. Paul sees his existence as abounding in blessing, as a menu of options each of which is attractive for one reason or another. What we have here is the portrait of a confident and happy man, smiling in his imprisonment, cheerful even at the prospect of death, secure that his existence is directed toward happiness whatever its next elements might be.
But all this is not particular to this individual person in these unique circumstances. What Paul expresses in these verses proclaims the basic realities of every Christian life.
As believers we know that Christ lives and works in each one of us and that Christ will continue to live and work in us as long as we are willing to have Him, even for all eternity. For us, as for Paul, "life is Christ." Christ is the component that makes our existence worthwhile, whether here or hereafter. And the Christ that confers worth on us is not a Christ that we have to earn or deserve, but a Christ who gives Himself to us freely, on His own initiative. And it is a gift that He will never take away from us.
But that’s not all. Our life here and now is not just a waiting period, a portion of time that we have to endure before the real action begins. Our life here and now is important because it is a context in which the love of God for His human creatures is extended and unfolded through the agency of women and men like us. God has chosen to operate through human instrumentality. This means that human activity has a dimension of divine providence to it. Each one of us has a part to play in Christ’s project of salvation, a part that plays itself out in our relationship with our family and friends, with all those whose lives touch ours. It plays itself out in our work, in the Christian service we are able to offer the community of the faithful. Even when we are weak and suffering, even when it seems that we are really no good to anybody, the Lord is still able to exercise His loving care for the world through us. Christ is at work in every aspect of our life.
Committed Christians look toward the end of their life with confidence because they know that "death is gain." But committed Christians also know that "life is Christ," even the daily existence that we tend to undervalue because we have grown so accustomed to it.
This passage of Philippians is an invitation to us to be conscious of the value of our lives, both here and hereafter. Because of the dimension of Christ in us none of us is unimportant to the Lord. None of us is a throw-away creature. In this live letter, God calls us to appreciation and gratitude.
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Conversation Questions.
Where do I see Christ working in the circumstances of my life?
For what reasons might I prefer life to death or death to life?
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