Today’s reading from the Letter to the Philippians is one of the reasons that I count this letter as my favorite in the body of St. Paul’s writings. It speaks to the issue of what is really important in life.
St. Paul recalls the advantages he had because of his birth. He was not only a member of the powerful party known as the Pharisees, he was also a Roman citizen who had been given the benefit of a Greek education. He was aligned with the three most powerful and prestigious aspects of the Mediterranean world in the 1st Century – religious, political, and educational prominence. Yet he is able to say that all of this is so much rubbish in light of his having found faith in Jesus Christ.
At this time of year, Americans’ thoughts turn to the Thanksgiving Holiday. For the coming weeks, we will be challenged on many fronts to consider how much has been given to us and how much we have earned. Gratitude for our families, for our health, for our security, and for our freedoms will be the basis of much of the media advertising and the editorial writing that will fill our television screens and our newspaper columns. Can we say that we consider all these things “rubbish” by comparison to our faith in Jesus and in the power of his resurrection? When listing the “things” for which we are grateful, where do faith and salvation in Jesus rank on the list?
When I dwell on my own sense of gratitude, I inevitably find myself considering my faith, my vocation, and the love of God which has been showered upon me so graciously by God. Yes, I struggle with my various health concerns. Like St. Paul, however, I try to remember that these health concerns are also blessings since they have won for me the ability to join my sufferings to those of Jesus who gave everything for our salvation. Indeed, by comparison, everything else is destined for the dumpster!
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator