Our second reading today, from St.
Paul to the Phillipians, starts: “Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the
Lord always. I shall say it again:
rejoice!” Paul sounds pretty happy, don’t you think? Everything must be going really well for him,
especially in the community he founded in Philippi. It must be all peace and harmony and
understanding and everyone just getting along famously. Right?
WRONG!
In the four
verses immediately before our second reading today we hear: “For
these reasons, my brothers, you whom I so love and long for, you who are my joy
and my crown, continue, my dear ones, to stand firm in the Lord. I plead with Evodia just as I do with
Syntyche, come to some mutual understanding in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, too, my dependable fellow
worker, to go to their aid; they have
struggled at my side in promoting the gospel, along with Clement and the others
who have labored with me, whose names are in the book of life.”
What is going on here, what is Paul
talking about? Well, there is a division
in the community. Two church
ladies, Evodia and Syntyche, both staunch pillars of the parish, well known and
influential in the community, had a disagreement. Apparently a pretty serious and public one.
I
know such an occurrence is exceedingly rare, but this sort of thing can happen.
Now both Evodia and Syntyche were good
women, dedicated to spreading the Gospel, but they had some sort of falling
out, a difference of opinion, that was causing a problem for the church of
Phillipi. In fact a big enough of a
stink so as to cause St. Paul to ask one of his co-workers in Philippi to act
as referee. Paul wrote: I ask you, too, my dependable fellow
worker, to go to their aid;” Go try to help them resolve this thing. For
these two ladies were leaders in the church.
They did much more than just serve tea, for St. Paul states that
they struggled at his side in promoting the gospel. They were missionaries or church leaders of
some sort. And so it was important for
St. Paul that the two women get along, or at least “come to a mutual understanding in the Lord.” Because their division was hindering the
mission.
I
mention this little bit of the Phillipians’ “dirty laundry” to show that Paul’s
optimistic and enthusiastic writing in our second reading is not looking at the world through
rose-colored glasses, not some unrealistic fantasy, but is based in the
day-to-day realities of living in community, with its tensions and squabbles
and disappointments.
Not
only did Paul have opposition from many of the Jews who rejected the New Way he
preached, and not only did Paul have all the dangers and inconveniences of
ancient travel, and not only did Paul have difficulties with the Roman authorities,
Paul also had all the problems,
divisions, squabbles, disagreements and arguments that every community is
subject to, and he seemed to have it in all the churches he founded, and even
with other Apostles.
So,
there was plenty of human reason for St Paul to be discouraged, disheartened,
disgusted and even depressed. But here
he is recommending to us: “Rejoice in the
Lord always. I shall say it again:
rejoice! Your kindness should
be known to all. The Lord is near.”
The
last sentence is the kicker. The Lord is near! It is Paul’s faith that the Lord is near that
allows him to remain, not just calm, but buoyant, optimistic, hopeful,
positive, indeed joyful. The Lord is
near! And for St Paul that is all that
matters. He knows that we are never
going to find our way out of the mess that humanity has gotten itself into by
moral reform, nor government action, nor economic development, nor scientific
progress, nor academic excellence, nor artistic creativity, nor social
development nor military intervention, nor any other human endeavor. Paul knows that the only way out of the dead
end of sin and death is through the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul knows that the Lord is near.
That
is why St Paul confidently continues in our second reading: “Have
no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
That
is very good advice. I urge you to take
it to heart. “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all
understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
The Lord is near! AMEN.
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