Homilies on Philippians 0.1–0.2

The Philippians are from a city of Macedonia, Philippi, named after its founder, a city that is a colony, as Luke says. Here the seller of purple was converted, a very devout woman … Here Paul was scourged with Silas; here the magistrates begged them to leave, and were afraid of them; and the preaching had a brilliant beginning. He himself also bears them witness to many great things, calling them his crown and saying that they had suffered much: “For to you it has been granted,” he says, “by God, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.” When he was writing to them, he happened to be in bonds. That is why he says, “so that my bonds have become manifest in Christ in the whole praetorium”, calling Nero's palace the praetorium. But he was bound and released, and he made this plain to Timothy, saying: “At my first defence no one stood by me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me.” So he shows that the bonds he was in came before that defence. For that Timothy was not present then is clear: “At my first defence,” he says, “no one stood by me.” And by writing this he was informing him; he would not, then, have written it to him if Timothy had known it. But when he was writing this Letter, Timothy was with him; and he shows it by what he says: “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon”; and again, “Him I hope to send to you at once, as soon as I see how it will go with me.” For he was released from his bonds, and was bound again after he had come to them. And when he says, “Even if I am poured out as a libation upon the sacrifice and service of your faith,” it is not as though this had already happened, but: “even if this should happen, I rejoice,” he says, raising them up from their despondency over his bonds. For that he was not about to die at that time is clear from what he says: “But I trust in the Lord that I myself also shall come to you soon”; and again, “And being convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all.” Now the Philippians had sent Epaphroditus to him, to bring him money and to learn how things stood with him; for they were very lovingly disposed toward him. That they sent, hear him saying: “I have received from Epaphroditus the things from you.” So they sent at one and the same time both to encourage him and to find out. For that they also sent to find out how things stood with him he shows straight away at the beginning of the Letter, writing about his own affairs and saying, “I want you to know that what has happened to me has turned out rather for the advance of the gospel”; and again, “I hope to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by knowing how you are.” The words “so that I too” show this: “just as you sent for full assurance about my affairs, so I too send, so that I may be cheered by knowing how you are.” Since, then, they had gone a long time without sending, and sent only then (for he shows this by saying, “now at last you have revived your concern for me”), and then were hearing that he was in bonds (for if they heard about Epaphroditus that he had been sick, though he was not so very eminent as Paul, much more about Paul), it was likely that they were troubled; for this reason in the opening of the Letter he offers much encouragement about his bonds, showing that they ought not only not to be troubled but even to rejoice. Then he also gives counsel about concord and humility, teaching them that this is their greatest safety, and that in this way they can easily overcome their enemies. For it is not being in bonds that grieves your teachers, but the disciples' lack of concord. For the one even gives the gospel growth; the other tears it apart.

So, having urged them to be of one mind, and having shown that concord comes from humility, and having taken a strong stand against the Jews who everywhere were corrupting the doctrine under a pretence of Christianity, calling them both “dogs” and “evil workers”, and having urged them to keep away from them and persuaded them to whom they should attend, and having discussed many points of conduct and set them in order, and having restored their spirits by saying, “The Lord is near,” he mentions with his fitting understanding also what had been sent, and in this way offers much encouragement. He plainly writes to them with especially great respect, and nowhere sets down anything of reproof; and this was a token of their virtue, that they gave their teacher no handle, and that he sent everything to them not by way of rebuke but by way of exhortation. As I said at the beginning, so I will say now: this city showed great aptness for the faith, since the jailer (and you know that the business is full of every vice) at once, upon a single sign, both ran to them and was baptized with his whole house. For the sign that happened he alone saw; but the gain he did not reap alone, but with his wife and his whole house. But even the magistrates themselves … and they did this not out of wickedness, as appears from their sending at once to release him and from their being afraid afterwards. He bears them witness not only in faith and in dangers, but also in doing good, where he says that “at the beginning of the gospel you sent once and again for my need,” when no one else had done this; “for no church,” he says, “shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving.” And he shows that the lapse was due rather to lack of opportunity than to their choice, saying, “Not that you were not concerned for me,” he says, “but you lacked opportunity.” This shows that he had great affection for them. For that he loved them greatly is clear: “For I have no one like-minded,” he says, “who will genuinely care for your affairs”; and again, “Because I have you in my heart, in my bonds.”

4. Knowing these things, then, we too, having so many examples of love, should show ourselves worthy of such patterns, being ready to suffer for Christ. But now there is no persecution. Well then, if nothing else, let us imitate their eager doing of good; and let us not, if we give once and a second time, think we have fulfilled everything. For this must be done through the whole of life; we must please God not once but continually. For the runner too, if he runs ten double laps and gives up the last one, has lost everything; and we, if we begin good works and afterwards grow slack, have lost everything, have ruined everything. Hear the profitable exhortation that says: “Let acts of mercy and faithfulness not fail you.” It did not say, Do it once, or twice, or three times, or ten times, or a hundred times, but continually: “let them not fail you,” it says. And it did not say, Do not yourself abandon them, but, Let them not abandon you, showing that we need them, not they us, and teaching that we must do everything so as to keep them with us. “Bind them,” it says, “on your neck.” For just as the children of the wealthy have a golden ornament about the neck and never take it off, since they wear it as a token of their high birth, so we too must always put on almsgiving, showing that we are children of the compassionate one, who makes the sun rise on the evil and the good. “But unbelievers do not believe.” Well, then, they will come to believe through these things, if we practise them. For if they see that we show mercy to everyone, and claim him as our teacher, they will know that we do this in imitation of him. And this must not be done carelessly, but with attention and care: “Let almsgiving and faithfulness,” it says, “be true in you.” Well did it say “true”; for it does not want it to come from robbery, nor from theft: that is not faithfulness, that is not true almsgiving. For the thief must lie and must perjure himself. “But you, do not be like that; with almsgiving keep faithfulness,” it says. Let us put on this ornament; let us make a golden necklace for the soul, almsgiving I mean, while we are here. For if this time of life passes, we shall no longer use it. How so? There are no poor there, there is no money there, there is no poverty there. While we are children, let us not deprive ourselves of this ornament. For just as with children, when they become men, these things are taken off and they are brought to another adornment, so with us too: there will no longer be almsgiving by money there, but another, far greater. So let us not deprive ourselves of this one; let us make the soul appear beautiful. Almsgiving is a great thing, beautiful and precious; it is a great gift, or rather great goodness. If we learn to despise money, we shall learn other things as well. For see how many good things are born from this. The one who gives alms as alms should be given learns to despise money; the one who has learned to despise money has cut out the root of evils. So he does good no more than he receives good, not only because a debt and repayment are laid up for almsgiving, but because the soul becomes philosophic, lofty, and rich. The one who gives alms is trained not to admire money or gold; and having trained his mind in this, he has made a very great start toward rising up to heaven, and has cut out countless pretexts for strife and quarrelling and envy and despondency. For you know, you know yourselves, that all evils come through money, and countless wars through money. But the one who has learned to despise these has set himself in calm; he no longer fears loss, for almsgiving has taught him this. He no longer covets his neighbour's goods; how could he, who parts with his own and gives them away? He no longer envies the rich man; how could he, who wishes to become poor? He cleanses the eye of his soul. And these are the rewards here; but those there cannot even be told, how many good things he will obtain. He will not stay outside with the foolish virgins, but will go in with the wise, with the bridegroom, holding bright lamps; and the one who has not even tasted those toils will be better off through almsgiving than those who have laboured hard in virginity. So great is the strength of almsgiving: it brings in its nurslings with great boldness. For it is known to the gatekeepers in heaven who guard the doors of the bridal chamber; not only known, but revered; and those whom it recognizes as having honoured it, it will bring in with great boldness, and no one will object, but all give way. For if it brought God down to earth and persuaded him to become man, much more will it be able to raise a man up to heaven. For great is its strength. If, then, from mercy and love for humankind God became man, and it persuaded him to become a servant, much more will it bring the servants into his house. Let us love it, let us cherish it, not one day or two, but through all our time, that it may recognize us. If it recognizes us, the Lord too will recognize us; if it does not know us, the Lord too will not know us and will say, “I do not know you.” But may we not hear that voice, but that blessed one: “Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” May we all obtain it, by the grace and love for humankind in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father, and so on.