From: Philippians 1:20-24, 27
St. Paul's Own Circumstances (Continuation)
[20] It is my eager expectation and hope that I shall not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. [21] For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. [22] If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. [23] I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. [24] But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. [25] Convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, [26] so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Fight for the Faith
[27] 0nly let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you stand firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.
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Commentary:
20. "Christ will be honored in my body": whether he lives (because that will allow him to keep up his apostolic work) or whether he has to face martyrdom: in either case he is able to bear witness to Christ.
Every Christian is linked to Christ through Baptism (cf. Rom 6:5) and this union is strengthened by the Eucharist (cf. 1 Cor 10:16-17). A believer, therefore, should aspire to identify with Jesus to such an extent that he can say with the Apostle, "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20). Everything anyone has is a gift from God; and a Christian's life in the body, with any suffering he experiences, and even death, identifies him in some way with Christ's own life: this identification is the goal of every Christian.
21-26. St Paul expresses a desire to "depart" and be with Christ: the Greek verb he uses has the sense of casting off (like a boat before it leaves harbor) or upping stakes (like an army decamping): he sees death as a liberation from earthly ties, which allows him immediately to "be with Christ". These words indicate that those who die in grace do not have to wait until the Last Judgment to enjoy God in heaven. This was the teaching of the Church, based on Sacred Scripture, at the Second Council of Lyons: "the souls of those who after holy Baptism have acquired no stain of sin at all, and those who having incurred the stain of sin are cleansed...are received immediately into heaven" ("Profession of Faith of Michael Paleologue").
The Apostle is in two minds. But his desire to be with Christ does not inhibit his generous work for the good of souls: he wants to stay in the world, in order to continue working for the conversion of the Gentiles and to look after the Christian communities which he has founded, which are going from strength to strength.
In spite of his uncertainty about his future, St Paul is inclined to think that he will be allowed to continue his work to the spiritual advantage of the Philippians and the other churches.
21. Death is "gain", because, for a person who dies in the grace of God, it means entering into the joy of the Lord, seeing him face to face (cf. 1 Cor 13:12) and enjoying "what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor 2:9). This desire to enjoy God in heaven caused St Teresa of Avila to say: "I am living and yet I am not really living, for I place my hopes on such a higher life that I am dying because I do not die" ("Poems", 2).
"Christ himself, our teacher of salvation, shows us how useful it is to leave this life; when his disciples became sad because he told them that he was going away, he said to them, 'If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father' (Jn 14:28), thereby teaching them that, when those we love leave this world, we should rejoice rather than be sad" (St Cyprian, "De Mortalitate", 7). Faith shows us that death is the definitive step into eternal life. However, to have a well grounded hope of attaining that goal we need to remember that for us, "to live is Christ" here on earth also. For one thing, supernatural life is the life of grace, and this has been won for us by Christ; also, knowing and loving Christ should be our life-purpose. A Christian has to try to see that his life is fruitful in terms of holiness, and that he uses all ordinary events and all his activities to draw others towards Christ.
"So, if you have encountered Christ," John Paul II exhorts, "live for Christ, live with Christ, and bear witness to him; proclaim this in the first person singular: 'For me to live is Christ.' That is what true liberation also consists of--proclaiming Jesus Christ freed from attachments and present in men who are transformed and become a new creation" ("Homily, Santo Domingo Cathedral", October 1984).
27. The Greek term translated here as "let your manner of life be" has a more specific meaning "Live like good citizens." The inhabitants of Philippi enjoyed Roman citizenship and were very proud of this (cf. p. 101 above). However, in addition to whichever positions they have in society, Christians are citizens of heaven (cf. Phil 3:20), and therefore they should lead a life "worthy of the gospel of Christ", like good citizens of the Kingdom of God where Christ reigns as king (cf. Jn 18: 37), by loyally obeying his laws--the new law of grace contained in the Gospel.
However, being a citizen of heaven is quite compatible with being a citizen of human society: "to acknowledge God is in no way to oppose the dignity of man, since such dignity is grounded and brought to perfection in God. Man has in fact been placed in society by God, who created him as an intelligent and free being; but over and above this he is called as a son to intimacy with God and to share in his happiness. (The Church) further teaches that hope in a life to come does not take away from the importance of the duties of this life on earth but rather adds to it by giving new motives for fulfilling those duties" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 21).
A truly Christian life in the middle of the world speaks to all, Christians or no, of the presence of God and of his plans for the salvation of all mankind. Moreover, "what does much to show God's presence clearly is the brotherly love of the faithful who, being all of one mind and spirit work together for the faith of the Gospel (cf. Phil 1:18) and stand out as a sign of unity" (ibid.). This is essential to the effort to spread the Kingdom of God, for "every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste" (Lk 11:17). The early Christians really did put this teaching into practice: they were "of one heart and soul" (Acts 4:32).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
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