St. Paul's Own Circumstances
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[18b] Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in that I rejoice. [19] Yes, and I shall rejoice. For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, [20] as 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
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[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:
15-18. "From envy and rivalry": we do not know whom he is referring to, but it does not seem to be Judaizers, as is the case in the epistles to the Galatians and the Romans. St Paul, who gives no thought to himself, rejoices as long as the Gospel is preached, even if the preachers have bad intention (v. 18). Christians should always be happy to see others working for Christ.
Jesus says this quite clearly in the Gospel: "'Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us.' But Jesus said, 'Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us' " (Mk 9:38-40). The basis of this teaching lies in the fact that an apostle is only an instrument of God in the service of souls; he has no proprietary rights over souls. "[Let us remember] that souls belong to God; that no one on earth has that right of ownership over souls; and that the Church's apostolate, by which it announces and brings about salvation, is not based on personal prestige of individuals but on the grace of God" ([St] J. Escriva, Friends of God, 267).
19. His imprisonment for preaching Christ, and even his pain at others' preaching out of rivalry, does not take away the Apostle's peace; for he realizes that this pain identifies him with Christ. "And the reason for this is that when we do any good action that promotes the salvation of others, this makes for our own salvation" (St Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Phil, ad loc.). St James makes the same point: "whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his own soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins" (Jas 5:20).
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).
The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard
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[1] "For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. [2] After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. [3] And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; [4] and to them he said, `You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. [5] Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. [6] And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, `Why do you stand here idle all day?' [7] They said to him, `Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, `You go into the vineyard too.'
[8] And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, `Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' [9] And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. [10] Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. [11] And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, [12] saying, `These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' [13] But he replied to one of them, `Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? [14] Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. [15] Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? [16] So the last will be first, and the first last."
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Commentary:
1-16. This parable is addressed to the Jewish people, whom God called at an early hour, centuries ago. Now the Gentiles are also being called--with an equal right to form part of the new people of God, the Church. In both cases it is a matter of a gratuitous, unmerited, invitation; therefore, those who were the "first" to receive the call have no grounds for complaining when God calls the "last" and gives them the same reward--membership of His people. At first sight the laborers of the first hour seem to have a genuine grievance—because they do not realize that to have a job in the Lord's vineyard is a divine gift. Jesus leaves us in no doubt that although He calls us to follow different ways, all receive the same reward--Heaven.
2. "Denarius": a silver coin bearing an image of Caesar Augustus (Matthew 22:19-21).
3. The Jewish method of calculating time was different from ours. They divided the whole day into eight parts, four night parts (called "watches") and four day parts (called "hours")--the first, third, sixth and ninth hour.
The first hour began at sunrise and ended around nine o'clock; the third ran to twelve noon; the sixth to three in the afternoon; and the ninth from three to sunset. This meant that the first and ninth hours varied in length, decreasing in autumn and winter and increasing in spring and summer and the reverse happening with the first and fourth watches.
Sometimes intermediate hours were counted--as for example in verse 6 which refers to the eleventh hour, the short period just before sunset, the end of the working day.
16. The Vulgate, other translations and a good many Greek codexes add: "For many are called, but few are chosen" (cf. Matthew 22:14).
Daily Word for Reflection -- The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries
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Other resources for this Sundays Readings:
Sunday Scripture Study for Catholics
The Sacred Page (Dr. John Bergsmas)—Is God Fair? The 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Catholic Productions (Dr. Brant Pitre) – The Readings Explained (video): The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
Catholic Productions (Dr. Brant Pitre) – The Readings Explained (video): The Imprisoned St. Paul and the Immortality of the Soul
LectioTube