Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator
I have said this often enough, but it bears repeating. Sometimes I feel that the Scripture readings chosen for Mass are presented in segments that are too short. This is certainly the case in the readings for today and tomorrow. We are reading from the second chapter of the Letter to the Philippians. I understand completely why the editors of the Lectionary for Mass separated this section from what follows. Tomorrow's reading is one of the "hymns" that St. Paul includes in his letters while today's selection is the prologue to that hymn. However, the introduction is certainly an integral part of the hymn. (Happily for those of us who are Franciscans, we can read both sections together tomorrow since today is our day to commemorate the deceased of the Franciscan Family or Seraphic Order.)
The general thrust of the Philippians readings for today and tomorrow concerns our attitude, our spirit of community and communal activity, our general unity of purpose and thought. Simply stated, St. Paul is urging us to put on the mind of Jesus Christ in all of our dealings with others. He states his position quite simply: "Humbly regard others as more important than yourselves." Though all of St. Paul's letters predate the Gospels, there is no doubt that this principal is interwoven into all of the Gospels. It is sometimes referred to as the "reversal theme"; first – last, greatest – least, etc.
I admit that there is something of a personal connection between this passage and my own biography inasmuch as this passage was the subject of my first paper as a student of theology back in 1971. That fact simply amplifies the beauty of the passage for me personally. However, none of us can deny that this is, quite simply, one of the greatest challenges of Christian living. Putting the needs of others before our own is exactly what Jesus does on Calvary and that which is now our task each and every day of our lives.