Pilgrims And ForeignersSample

Paul – International and celestial citizen (Philippians 1:21-26)

In this passage to the Philippians, Paul invites us to accompany him, as if thinking out loud, in his personal reasoning over whether to hold on to life or give himself over to death. This choice is not in his hands, since he finds himself in prison awaiting his sentence. Therefore, this reflection, which at first glance might seem paradoxical, is based on the case where he had the opportunity to choose his destiny. 

On the one hand, Paul speaks of death as gain. This preference is accented by the use of the term “depart”, which means “get on one’s way”. Being in the world is then for Paul a temporary state whose only logical consequence is the exit, death, in order to be with Christ, which is very much better. So, he assumes that his relationship with Christ in death will continue to be dynamic.

Even so, on the other hand, there’s no doubt that for Paul, also in life, Christ has been his exclusive devotion. He has lived and lives in intimate union with Christ. For that reason it is not surprising that he wants to continue living to follow, glorify, and serve Christ.

In this dilemma, given the choice, Paul opts for staying, maintaining his vision on heaven but his feet on the ground. It is his relationship with Christ that motivates him and pushes him to stay to help the Philippians experience the same blessing as he has. His staying in the world is exactly what permits the Philippians to advance in their faith in Christ.

These words of Paul are without a doubt a wake-up call for us today. To die is to lose our lives. Still, if in death we can affirm that “for me to live is Christ”, we lose nothing, rather we win! How and for whom do we live? The challenge is in our hands. May we be able to exclaim as Paul “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain”!

Edith Vilamajó

Motives of gratitude:

· The hope we have that to be with Christ is much better

· The confidence that life with Christ is better than everything else 

Confession: 

· Forgive us, oh Lord, for not always living for you.

Requests:

· May our devotion in life be Christ and may this be manifested in us searching for intimate communion with Christ and living to follow, serve and glorify him. 

· May our stay in the world serve so others advance in their faith in Christ 

· May we live a life in accordance with the thought that for us to live is Christ and to die is gain.