In today’s reading from Philippians, St. Paul in prison expresses his gratitude for a financial gift recently received. Without it he would have faced severe hardship; perhaps even starvation. He knows that the Philippian Christians themselves are not well off, so he’s really grateful. Still, Paul wants to insist that his love for them is not dependent on their gifts, nor does his constant and overflowing joy depend on having everything he needs and wants. And in explaining himself here, St. Paul gives us a most important lesson.
This lesson is about properly Christian attitudes towards prosperity and adversity. Prosperity first. It’s thoroughly Christian to rejoice in the good things of life. Having enough to eat, having a roof over our heads, finding success in what we do, being happy in relationships with friends and family, enjoying beautiful things like nature or music or literature: we don’t cling on to these things, but neither have we the slightest need to feel guilty or negative about them. No: we thank and bless God for them all. As for adversity: St. Paul had plenty of experience of that. When everything goes wrong; when we lose everything that would seem to make life worth living; when our health gives way, our finances collapse, our reputation goes, and our enemies close in: then we are thrown back all the more on God, who is with us then as never before; who sustains us, gives us courage and hope, hears our prayer, shows us how to endure. Then we learn from experience the truth of what St. Teresa famously taught: that “God alone suffices”. Having God, we have everything. Not having God, all other blessings of life whatever prove ultimately to be worthless.
Taken out of context, the few lines from Philippians we read just now could almost be mistaken for standard pagan moralising. The influential Stoics of those days certainly preached philosophical detachment from the things of this world. The virtuous Stoic, like the virtuous Buddhist, would neither be elated by success nor depressed by failure. He would know how to be poor and how to be rich; how to make himself independent of external circumstances; how to be content with whatever life should serve him.
This is all very admirable and excellent. But it’s not particularly Christian, and it’s not quite what St. Paul is saying here. What makes all the difference for St. Paul, and for us, of course, is Jesus Christ our Lord. What Paul says, literally, is: “I know to be humbled”. The word “humbled” immediately evokes Chapter 2 of this letter, and the Hymn of Christ’s incarnation, death and exaltation. “He emptied himself ... he humbled himself ... therefore God exalted him” (2:7-9). Then, literally: “I know to abound” or “ I know what it is to be rich”. Again, we immediately think here of Christ who according to St. Paul is rich in mercy (cf. Eph 2:4), rich in grace, rich in generosity, rich in divine glory. “Although he was rich, he made himself poor” Paul wrote to the Corinthians (cf. 2 Cor 8:9). So for Paul, an abundance of earthly riches evokes the infinitely more valuable abundance of riches we have in Christ. Paul already alluded to these riches earlier in this letter. “Because of the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”, he said in Chapter 3, “I count everything else as loss ... I even reckon it all as rubbish, if only I can gain Christ” (3:8-9). Looking at the world through such spectacles, Paul can be happy in either prosperity or adversity. But given the option, he sees special advantages in adversity. Why? Because through adversity he gains a first-hand share in Christ’s own sufferings. “All I want” he says, “is to know him, and the power of his resurrection, and what it is to share in his sufferings, conforming myself to his death, so as to come to a share in his resurrection, which is from the dead” (3:10-11).
St. Paul is very confident in his ability to live through whatever circumstances life brings him, not because of his own inner strength, like the Stoics, but simply because of Christ Jesus. “Life for me”, Paul wrote to the Philippians, “is Christ, and death is gain” (1:21). And knowing the power of Christ’s mystery, Paul is perfectly confident also in Christ’s power at every moment now of his present life. Christ will be with Paul, without fail, and give him whatever strength he needs, as he needs it, and guide him, and bring him safely to his goal. Not only that: Paul is confident also of Christ’s power to reward and bless all his friends and benefactors.
When Paul thinks of all that, what does he do? He certainly doesn’t focus with the Stoic or the Buddhist on inner serenity based on passionless indifference. Nor does he revel in any sort of love of pain for its own sake, as Christian heretics have sometimes been misled to do. No: Paul turns instinctively to exuberant and joyful praise of God. “Glory to God our Father!” he cries (4:20). Glory to God who is our Father because of Christ his only Son! Glory to him through Christ! Glory to him because of Christ! Glory to the Holy Trinity, whose power and goodness are beyond measure, and who does all things well! Glory be to God, who is our joy, our love, our hope, our blessing, and our all, without end, and for endless ages of ages, Amen.