Word to the Wise
Monday, October 31, 2016 - Monday in the 31th Week in Ordinary Time
[Phil 2:1-4 and Luke 14:12-14]If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone for those of others. [Philippians]
As far as we know, Philippi was the first Christian community in Europe. St. Paul established it there around 49/50 A.D. on his second missionary journey. His letter to the Philippians seems to have been written while he was imprisoned somewhere. The words from his letter that form the first scripture for today have the tone of a parent writing to his or her children, which is understandable if his efforts were the ones that gave birth to this community!
These words were written in a very different context than what most of us live in now, but they really touch on the fundamental elements of a healthy community. They also strike at the heart of the cultural characteristic of Western civilization that militates against community - individualism. We have difficulty seeing anyone as more important than our selves. We resist being "the same" even as we imitate certain others. In the economic sphere, looking out for our own interests has led to terrible consequences, most recently in the 2008 crash. "Gated" communities are not really communities but collectively secured areas. Much of this is chronicled by prominent sociologists like Robert Putnam in Bowling Alone and other works.
Perhaps today we can reflect on how St. Paul's words touch on our own lives, whether as family, or friends, or colleagues or parish - whatever "community" we might belong to. We all need "encouragement in Christ," and "compassion and mercy." We cannot obtain these by ourselves. AMEN
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