Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
I am not going to talk about the state of public discourse in our country. People are up to their noses with it. To get respite, many people have chosen to withdraw from public discourse. Others have completely abandoned social media and news channels. I am not going to talk about it either, because I don’t want you to feel oppressed in church as well. My personal challenge has been to discern my Christian code of conduct in these times. As a Catholic priest, pastor, and a public figure, how do I navigate through the divisiveness and the hate without also compromising the cause of justice and righteousness? How do I become a healer and reconciler? These are questions that affect my eternity.
Today’s second reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians gave me very important insights that I want to share with you. The nascent church in Philippi was a vibrant but divided church. The division was between the Jewish and Gentile Christians. In this context, Paul’s exhorts the Philippian community and us in these words: “Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus.” Paul sounds very similar to our Parish mission statement, “Think like Jesus, Talk like Jesus, and Act like Jesus.” I want to propose three ways for us to navigate through these difficult times.
- “If there is any Love…” Why did Paul write to the Philippians in these words? Politically, Philippi was part of the Roman Empire and was governed by Ius Italicum or Italian Law, meaning that it occupied the highest honor any Roman province could attain. Paul wanted to remind the Philippian Christians, that while they enjoy the benefits of being a privileged Roman province that their true citizenship is in heaven. Paul was giving his church a new perspective - one that will help the Philippians to conduct themselves differently than the people around them. He says, “If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind….” Paul is not expressing doubts when he uses the conditional form, “if.” Rather, he is preparing the Philippians for a request. It should be read as, because the Philippians experience “encouragement in Christ, solace in love, participation in the Spirit, compassion and mercy,” the Philippians should strive for unity. In other words, in light of the problems that exist in the Philippians, Paul request the church to bring to fruition that gifts of unity that already exist among them. What does this mean for us today? One of the global phenomenon evident in the world today is “nationalism.” Across the globe, people are concerned about the loss of national identity and geographical integrity of their nation. The flag, the border, race, local jobs are all issues that stem from the question, “Who are we as a nation? What does a Catholic do in this situation? Paul’s advice is very timely as this point. Paul is asking us to never forget that our most significant citizenship is the heavenly one. Love of our country is a desirable virtue. However, one day we have to leave this land. When we do, we will stand not before God with the American flag or the Confederate flag, the Indian flag or even the Papal flag. We will only stand in Sign of the Cross with which we have been sealed at Baptism. On the last day when we stand before God we will not stand before God as Americans or Indians, black or white, Asian or Mexican, but rather, we will stand before God as the children of God, as disciples, as those who had the same mind as Christ or not. We will only stand before God because we have “any encouragement in Christ, solace in love, participation in the Spirit, compassion and mercy.” Please choose to disagree if your must, but, I believe that nothing else will matter.
- “Humbly regard others as more important than yourself.” After Paul lays out the Christian virtues that is integral to a Christian, he gives them two other exhortations. The first one is: “Humbly regard others as more important that you.” What is humility? The typical dictionary defines humility as “not thinking of yourself as better than other people.” Paul’s idea of humility is just a little different. He is not asking us to lower our worth or our dignity before others. Humility, for Paul, is giving others what is due to them – their dignity. Humility is considering others more important than ourselves without compromising our own worth. This is exactly what Jesus did. Paul says, … "He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness….” Jesus humbled himself without giving up his dignity as the Son of God. He treated with dignity those society treated with indignity (tax collectors, sinners, and prostitutes). Paul’s understanding of humility is very significant, particularly in light of the situation in our country. Public discourse is necessary in democracy. But it does not need to be conducted by insulting, belittling, and disparaging others. The problem is not the differences of ideas or even ideologies. The problem is the refusal to treat people with dignity. Paul is reminding us to have the same mind as that of Christ - “Humbly regard others as more important that you.”
- “... looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.” The second exhortation Paul gives is that the Philippians look out not only for their own interest but also those of others. A question that I asked earlier was, “How do I navigate through the divisiveness and the hate without also compromising the cause of justice and righteousness?” For me, the answer lies in Paul’s second exhortation that I look at not only at my own interest also but those of others. Paul gave us the example of Jesus. “… He humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Jesus genuinely cared about the needs of others. Not only did Jesus empty himself but he empowered us for salvation. iHe emptied himself so that we might live. We are the direct beneficiaries of Christ’s self-emptying. Can you and I do the same? As a nation, as a people, as American Catholics, can we have the same mind as that of Christ? Who are the people in our world and in our nation that feel disempowered? What does it mean for us as Catholics to empty ourselves so that the helpless might feel empowered? What might Christ be saying to us? Folks, this is not merely a political question; this is a question that affects our salvation and the salvation of others. Blessed are you, if you understand this!
Once again, in this Eucharist, Christ empties himself for us. As we receive his body and blood, let us remind ourselves of Paul’s words, “Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus!” Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph