The past few weeks, we have been reading from St. Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus. Today, our focus changes to St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It is an inspiring testimony of commitment to Jesus and the work of the Gospel.
Paul is in prison but, despite that, “Christ is proclaimed”. One senses here a throwing down of the gauntlet: no one can stop the preaching of the Gospel. The work of spreading the Gospel will always go on. And that makes Paul happy, especially since he has been imprisoned by people who want to prevent him from evangelizing.
Just before our reading begins, Paul mentions people who are preaching in competition with him and are envious of him. These people, he says, are preaching from “selfish ambition” and hoping to cause trouble for Paul while he is in prison. But for Paul, this is not a big issue. As long as the Gospel of Christ is preached, he is not too worried about motives. “What difference does it make, as long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed?” He knows that their continued preaching of the Gospel will benefit him too. He is confident it will bring about his release. “In that I rejoice.”
It is on this note that our reading today (Philippians 1:18-26) begins. He thanks the church in Philippi for their prayers and for the help and support he receives from the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of God. He says that his one great hope is that he will never be overcome by adverse circumstances enough to abandon his belief in God or in his commitment to the Gospel. On the contrary, he prays for the courage to continue his mission, that like the boldness of Jesus, the Gospel to be glorified through his words and actions, whether this happens by his living or dying. He fears that the circumstances of imprisonment, with all its attendant suffering and oppression, could constitute a real temptation for him to abandon the Gospel and his resolute service for Christ.
Then follows one of the most inspiring passages in Paul’s letters, and indeed in the whole New Testament. Paul presents himself with a choice that most of us would probably make very quickly. It arises from his opening words: “For me, life is Christ, and death is gain.” Jesus is the totality of his life; outside of Christ, everything else is now irrelevant. On the one hand, death would mean an intimate and never-ending closeness to his beloved Lord. And yet, by staying alive he would be able to carry on the work for the Gospel and the building up of the Christian community, which is proving so fruitful. He does not know which to choose.
What we see presented here is an extraordinary example of “indifference”. Not in the sense of not caring, but a willingness to unconditionally follow whatever God chooses for him. Paul’s passion is the love and service of Jesus, and he is anxious to accept either life or death, whichever brings him closer to serving and pleasing the Lord.
Most of us are still at some distance from such a level of commitment but let us pray that we gradually grow into the wonderful degree of freedom that Paul’s words reveal. We see here freedom of choice, not fatalism. Paul wants what the Lord wants, and he accepts whatever the Lord asks of him. What we see is Paul’s desire that his will and God’s will, will perfectly coincide.
That is the goal of our lives as well. It is worth pursuing. It will bring us great freedom and bring us true happiness.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!