I think Paul’s letter to the Philippians is my favorite of his letters because there is such joy and friendship between Paul and the Church there and so many wonderful passages including the one we read today. So, that’s what I want to reflect on.

The first part speaks of the qualities necessary for the Church and especially the Church as community.

He uses 4 expressions:

• Being of the same mind
• With the same love
• United in heart
• Thinking one thing

It can sound like he’s asking them to all think alike. Now unity in doctrine is essential; but here, what he’s speaking about is unity of spirit.

But I do want to take a moment to talk about the division in the Church. If it’s a doctrinal issue, for example, there are people in the Church today who are trying to change Church doctrine on matters of marriage and sexuality, for doctrinal issues like these, we need to divide. As St. Paul says in Rom 16:17,

Brothers, I beg you to be on the watch against those who cause dissension and scandal, contrary to the teaching you have received. Avoid their company.

So, that’s what we do. We pray for them and love them; but, we must be firm in rejecting a change in doctrine because that is not the way to Christ and salvation.

But, if it’s not a doctrinal issue, like should we receive communion on the tongue or in the hand, or which form of the Mass is better, the Novus Ordo or the Traditional Latin Mass – the Church has left us free so do what your conscience and your heart says is best and be at peace. We don’t divide over issues like this. It’s okay to have a strong opinion on these issues and even to express them but it must always be done in charity, and always assume that the person who disagrees with you loves Jesus too.

The key to unity even when we disagree is humility. As Paul goes on to say

Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;
rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,

I’d like to share a couple of stories about my best friend, Jim Sharbaugh, that illustrate this humility and putting others first.

First is the story of his diaconate formation. He began formation down in Georgia with the Diocese of Atlanta and I think he got about 2 years into the program when he and Sue decided to move back to Maryland. Back here he was accepted into the formation program for the Archdiocese of Washington, but he had to start from the beginning. After 3 years in the program, there was some issue that put his formation on hold. He had to wait 2 years for the Church to resolve the issue. Finally, he was able to get back in and he was in the final year when he started having real problems with pain. He began to pray and discern his call and after all he had gone through, and all the papers have been signed and he’s ready to go, about 1 month before ordination, he concluded that he could not be a good husband to his wife Sue and also be a good deacon, so he withdrew from the program. I’ve never heard of anyone doing that. It was a tremendous act of humility and putting others ahead of himself.

The second story took place after Mass and Jim and I were going to catch up with each other. A young lady came over to me and asked for prayer – she was struggling because she couldn’t find a job. So, I prayed and the prayer was unusually inspired; by the end the young lady had tears; but, they were good tears, hopeful tears. I thought, wow, that doesn’t happen very often. I went back to visit with Jim and found out that as soon as he saw me praying, he immediately began praying for me. It’s a small thing, but a wonderful example of thinking of others.

And we do this because Jesus did it to an extraordinary degree.

Paul begins:

Have among yourselves the same attitude that was also in Christ Jesus who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.

The grasping hearkens us back to the garden and Eve grasping at the apple to be more like God. Jesus emptied himself. He humbled himself.

The first and biggest act of humility was taking on flesh and becoming one of us. But even in his human condition, he was humble. He was born in a stable, he grew up in Galilee which was considered the low life district of Israel by the people of Jerusalem and Judea. He was poor. He began his public ministry with baptism, which he didn’t need. Baptism was for foreigners and sinners. He was always obedient, to his Father first, but also to Mary and Joseph. He chose to put himself under them. Finally, after 3 years of going about doing good, he allowed himself to be crucified as a criminal, and the NT makes more of the humiliation of crucifixion then even the pain.

He chose to humble himself and live completely for others. A few months ago, my spiritual director suggested that I come up with my own 14 stations of the cross, events from Jesus’s passion that really speak to me, and use that for meditation and prayer.

As I read through the passion accounts, what amazed me most was how even under the extreme conditions of the passion; betrayed by a close friend, rejected by his own people, the leader of Israel chose Rome who enslaved them over Jesus; abandoned, brutally beaten and killed, even with all that, he thought of others.

While carrying the cross, he turns and speaks to the women who are weeping, on the cross he forgives those who put him up there and prays for them, when the good thief asks to be remembered, he responds with incredibly good news, and lastly, he gives his mother to us to be our mother. He was always thinking of others and always building people up, especially the weak.  

When the woman was caught in the act of adultery, the first thing he did was remove her feeling of shame and raise her up. When Peter fell in his denials, Jesus gave him a chance to make up with his 3-fold affirmation of his love. I could go on, but the point is that his self-emptying love was something extraordinary.

And because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

There simply is no one like Jesus. Besides being God, even his love as a man was like no other. I mentioned a couple of months ago that the time has come for us to give ourselves completely to Jesus. The time for delay is past. With all that is happening in our world, with the upcoming election, the instability, there is just no way that we will have peace without Jesus. We need Him to be our life. We need to live For Him. We need to live In Him, like my good friend Jim who constantly spoke with Jesus throughout the day.

Let us humbly recognize our need for Jesus. Let us be humble with each other, building each other up. God exalted Jesus, and he wants to do the same with His Bride. Let us choose to be lowly and let Him raise us up.

God bless you.