Homilies on Philippians 14.1–15.1

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all people. The Lord is near; be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” “Blessed are those who mourn,” and, “Woe to those who laugh,” says Christ. Why, then, does Paul say, “Rejoice in the Lord always”? Not as opposing Christ, God forbid. For Christ said, “Woe to those who laugh,” hinting at the laughter of this world, that which arises over present things; and he called blessed those who mourn, not those who simply mourn over the loss of their relatives, but those who are pierced to the heart and mourn their own evils, those who reckon up their own sins, or those of others. But this joy is not contrary to that mourning; rather this too is born of that mourning; for the one who mourns his own evils and confesses them rejoices. Besides, it is possible to mourn over one's own sins and to rejoice in Christ. Since, then, they were afflicted by what they suffered (“For it has been granted to you,” he says, “not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him”), that is why he says, “Rejoice in the Lord.” For these words mean nothing else than this: show such a life that you may rejoice. When, then, the things of God are not hindered for you, rejoice. Either, then, he means this, or “in” stands for “with”, as if he said, “Rejoice with the Lord always.” “Again I will say, rejoice.” This belongs to one giving courage and showing that the one who is in God always rejoices; whether he is afflicted, or suffers anything whatever, such a man always rejoices. For hear Luke saying of the apostles that “they returned from the presence of the council rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to be scourged for his name.” If scourgings and bonds, which seem more grievous than anything, give birth to joy, what else will be able to cause us grief? “Again I will say, rejoice.” He did well to double the word. For since the nature of things produced grief, by the doubling he shows that one must certainly rejoice. “Let your gentleness be known to all people.” He said above, “whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame”, and that “they think of earthly things”. Since, then, it was likely that they were hostilely disposed toward the wicked, he exhorts them to have nothing in common with those men, but to treat them with great gentleness, and not only the brothers but also enemies and opponents. “The Lord is near; be anxious for nothing.” For why, tell me, are you distressed? Because they resist? Because you see them living in luxury? “Be anxious for nothing.” The judgment is already at hand; before long they will give account of what they have done. “But you are in affliction, and they in luxury”? But these things will soon reach their end. “But they plot and threaten”? But these things will not go on for them to the end; already the judgment is at hand, when the opposite will be. “Be anxious for nothing”; the time of repayment is already at hand. Even if you behave gently toward those who have done you terrible things, even if there is poverty, even if death, even if anything else terrible, all will pass away. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” One consolation, then, is that, “The Lord is near”, and that, “I will be with you all the days, until the end of the age.” See also another consolation, and a medicine that releases from grief and hardship and every vexation. What is it? Praying, giving thanks in everything. So he wants prayers to be not only asking but also thanksgiving for what we have. For how will one ask for the future who is not grateful for the past? “But in everything,” he says, that is, in every matter, “by prayer and supplication.” So one must give thanks for everything, even for what seems grievous; for this truly belongs to a grateful man. For the former the nature of things demands; but the latter comes from a grateful soul, very well disposed toward God. These prayers God recognizes, but the others he does not know. So pray in such a way that you may be recognized. For he arranges everything for our advantage, even if we do not know it; and this very fact, that we do not know, is a proof that it is very much to our advantage. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” What is this? The peace of God, he says, which he made with men, surpasses all understanding. For who would have expected, who would have hoped that such good things would come? It surpasses every human mind, not speech only: for enemies, for those who hated him, for those who turned away from him, for these he did not refuse to give up his only-begotten Son, so as to make peace with us. This peace, then, that is, the reconciliation, the love of God, will guard your hearts and your thoughts.

This belongs to a teacher: not only to exhort, but also to pray, and to help by supplication, so that they may neither be swamped by trials nor carried about by deceit; as if he said: he who rescued you in a way that not even the mind can grasp, may he himself keep you and secure you, so that you suffer nothing. Either, then, he means this, or that the peace of which Christ speaks, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you”, this will guard you. For this peace surpasses every human mind. And if you ask how, hear: when he tells us to be at peace with enemies, with those who wrong us, with those who make war on us and are hostile to us, how is this not beyond human understanding? But rather let us look at the first meaning. The peace surpasses all understanding. If the peace does, much more God himself, who gave the peace, surpasses all understanding, not ours only, but also that of the angels and the powers above. And what is “in Christ Jesus”? He will guard you in him, he says, so that you remain and do not fall from faith in him. “Finally, brothers, whatever things are venerable, whatever true, whatever just.” What is “finally”? Instead of “everything has been said to us.” It is the expression of one who is hastening and has nothing in common with present things. “Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever venerable, whatever just, whatever pure, whatever lovely, whatever of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things; the things which you also learned and received and heard and saw in me.” What is “whatever lovely”? Lovely to the faithful, lovely to God. “Whatever things are true.” For these are truly true, virtue; but wickedness is a lie; for its pleasure is a lie, and its glory a lie, and all the things of the world a lie. “Whatever pure”, against “those who think of earthly things”. “Whatever venerable”, against “whose god is the belly”. “Whatever just, whatever of good report”: these things are so, he says. “If there is any virtue and if there is any praise.” Here he wants them to take thought for what concerns people too. “Think on these things,” he says. Do you see that he wants to banish every evil thought from our souls? For evil deeds come from thoughts. “The things which you also learned and received.” This belongs to the best teaching: in all exhortations to offer oneself as a pattern; as he also says elsewhere, “as you have us for a pattern”; and again here, “the things which you also learned and received”, that is, you were taught; “and heard and saw in me”, both as to words and deeds and way of life. Do you see that he gives these commands down to every matter? For since it was not possible to be exact about everything, comings and goings, word and bearing and company (for the Christian must take thought for all these), he said briefly and as in summary, “you heard and saw in me”, that is, from me; as if he said: by deeds and by words I led you up. “Do these things”: do not only speak, but also do; “and the God of peace will be with you.” That is, if you keep these things so and are at peace with one another, you will be in calm, in great safety; you will suffer nothing grievous, nothing you do not wish. For when we are at peace with him (and we are at peace through virtue), much more will he be with us. For one who loved us so much that he received us even when we were unwilling, if he sees us running to him, will he not show his friendship much more? Nothing is so hostile to our nature as wickedness. And how wickedness is hostile to us and virtue friendly is clear from this; and, if you wish, let us consider this first from one of the opposites, sexual immorality. It … [makes people] licentious, easily despised by all, doing to them what enemies would do; and often it has surrounded them with diseases and dangers; and many have perished on account of prostitutes and received wounds. And if sexual immorality brings these things about, adultery much more. Is almsgiving so too? Not at all; but like a tender mother it sets the child in great decorum, in good order, in good repute; it makes us occupied with necessary things; it does not leave us, nor draw us away from necessary things, but even makes the soul more intelligent. For nothing is more senseless than those who are given to prostitutes. But do you want to see greed too? This too does to us what an enemy would do. How? It too makes us hated by all; it causes all to pray against us, both those who have been wronged and those who have not, sympathizing with the former and afraid for themselves; all look on such people as common enemies, as wild beasts, as demons; countless accusations everywhere, plots, envy, which belong to enemies. But justice does the opposite: it makes all friends, all intimates, all well disposed toward us; prayers for us are made by all. From this our affairs are in great safety; there is no danger, no suspicion; even sleep comes fearlessly and with safety; there is no care, no lamentation.

Do you see that this is better? And what, tell me? Is envying better, or rejoicing with others? Let us examine all these things, and we shall find that virtue, like a truly tender mother, sets us in safety, but wickedness in dangers, being a precarious and dangerous thing. For hear the prophet saying, “The Lord is the strength of those who fear him, and his covenant is to show it to them.” The one who knows himself guilty of nothing evil fears no one; again, the one who lives in wickedness trusts no one, but even trembles at his servants and looks on them with suspicion. Why do I speak of servants? He cannot bear the tribunal of conscience; not only those outside but also the thoughts within beat him, not letting him be at rest. “What then,” someone says, “must one live paying attention to praise?” He did not say, “Look to praise,” but, “Do also what is praiseworthy, though not for the sake of praise.” [“Whatever things are true”]: for those things are a lie. “Whatever venerable.” The venerable belongs to outward force, the pure to the soul. Give no offence, he says, nor handle. Since he said, “whatever of good report”, so that you may not think that he means simply what is among men, he added, “if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think on these things”, do these things. He wants us to be in these things continually, to be concerned with these things, to think of these things. For if we are going to be at peace among ourselves, God too will be with us. But if we stir up war, the God of peace will not be with us. For nothing is so hostile to the soul as wickedness; and nothing again sets it in safety like peace and virtue; so our part must begin first, and then we shall draw God to us. God is not a God of war and battle. So put an end to war and battle, both that against him and that against your neighbour; be peaceable toward all. Consider whom God saves: “Blessed are the peacemakers,” he says, “for they shall be called sons of God.” Such people imitate the Son of God continually; imitate him you too; be at peace. The more your brother wars against you, the greater the reward. For hear the prophet saying, “With those who hate peace I was peaceable.” This is virtue, this is greater than human reasoning; this makes one near to God. Nothing so delights God as not bearing grudges; this frees you from sins, this cancels your charges. But if we fight and box with one another, we become far from God. For from fighting enmities are born, and from enmity grudges. Cut out the root, and there will be no fruit; so we shall learn to despise worldly things. For there is not, there is not fighting in spiritual things; but whatever you see happen, whether fights or envy or whatever one might name, it happens for the sake of worldly things; for every fight has its beginning in greed, or envy, or vainglory. If, then, we are at peace, we shall learn to despise even the things on earth. Has someone seized your money? But he has done you no wrong, provided he has not seized the wealth above, he says. Has he hindered your glory? But not the glory with God, only the worthless one; for that is not glory but the name of glory, or rather disgrace. Has he seized your honour? Not yours, but his own. For just as the one who wrongs does not wrong but is wronged, so too the one who plots against his neighbour destroys himself first; “for the one who digs a pit for his neighbour falls into it himself.” So let us not plot against others, so that we may not harm ourselves. When we trip up the glory of others, let us consider that we harm ourselves, that we plot rather against ourselves. For perhaps, if we succeed, we harm him in the eyes of men; but we wrong ourselves before God, provoking him. Let us not harm ourselves. For just as, if we wrong our neighbours, we wrong ourselves, so by doing them good we do ourselves good. When, then, your enemy harms you, consider that he has done you a kindness, if you are sober; do not only not repay him in kind, but do him good. “But the blow remains sharp,” someone says. Consider this, then: that you are not doing him good, but punishing him and doing yourself good; and you will quickly come to do good. “What then,” someone says, “must one act with such an aim?” One ought not to act with this aim; but when the heart cannot bear it, lead it on even by this, he says, and you will quickly persuade it to let go of the enmity, and then you will do good to the enemy as a friend, and so obtain the good things to come; which may we all obtain in Christ Jesus, and so on.

“But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; in which you were indeed concerned, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want; for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have been initiated, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in want. I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me. Nevertheless you did well in sharing in my affliction.” I have often said that almsgiving was introduced not for the sake of those who receive but of those who give; for these are the ones who gain the most. Paul shows this here too. How? The Philippians had sent him something after a long time, sending the very man who was to carry back the Letter; see how he both praises them and shows that this was done not for the need of the receivers but for the sake of the givers. He does this so that those who do good may not be lifted to arrogance, and may become more eager to do good, as benefiting themselves more; and so that those who receive may not be careless in receiving, so as not to incur judgment; “for it is more blessed,” he says, “to give than to receive.” What, then, does he mean by saying, “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly”? I did not rejoice in a worldly way, he says, nor in the way of this life, but in the Lord; not because I had relief, but because you made progress; for that is my relief. That is why he also says “greatly”; since the joy was not bodily, nor did he rejoice over his own relief, but over their progress. And see how, having gently rebuked them for the time past, he quickly shaded it over, teaching them to be in doing good continually and always. “That now at last,” he says. “Now at last” shows a long time. “You have revived”: as of trees that budded, then withered, and budded again. This shows that, having before been in bloom, they withered; so that “you have revived” is both a rebuke and a praise; for it is no small thing for what has withered [to bloom again]. And he shows that they suffered the whole from sloth. “Your concern for me, in which you were indeed concerned.” Here he shows that they were accustomed before this too to be generous in such things. That is why he added, “your concern for me, in which you were indeed concerned.” And so that you may not think it was so in other things too, but only in this, see how he secures it, saying, “now at last you have revived your concern for me”; as if he said: I say “now at last” of this alone; for in other things it was not so. One might ask here how, when he says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” and, “These hands ministered to my needs and to those who were with me,” and again, writing to the Corinthians, said, “For it would be better for me to die than that anyone should empty my boast,” he now lets his boast be emptied. How? By receiving. For if his boast was this, to take nothing, how does he now allow it? What, then, can we say? There he rightly did not receive because of the false apostles: “so that in what they boast of,” he says, “they may be found just as we are.” And he did not say, “in what they are”, but “in what they boast of”, showing by this that they did receive, but secretly. That is why he said, “in what they boast of.” And he too received, even if not there; that is why he too said, “This boast of mine will not be stopped.” And he did not simply say, “will not be stopped”, but what? “in the regions of Achaia”; and the words, “… for your service”, show that he received. But Paul rightly received, having so great a work, if indeed he ever received; but those who do nothing, how could they receive? “But I pray,” someone says. But this is not work; for this is to be done along with work. “But I fast.” But not even this is work. But see this blessed man … preaching in many places and working. “But you lacked opportunity,” he says. What is “you lacked opportunity”? It was not from your sloth, he says, but from necessity; you did not have it in hand, nor were you in abundance; for this is “but you lacked opportunity.” He took it from common usage; for so most people speak, when the things of life do not flow to them in abundance but are in straits. “Not that I speak in respect of want.” I said, he says, “now at last”, and rebuked you, not seeking my own interest, nor finding fault for this reason, as being in want; for I did not seek it for this reason. How is it clear that you are not boasting, Paul? To the Corinthians, indeed, he says, “… what you read or also acknowledge”; and he spoke so as to be caught out by them. He would not have said these things if he were boasting; for he spoke to those who knew, and the shame of being caught would have been greater. “For I have learned,” he says, “in whatever state I am, to be content.” So the thing is a matter of teaching, of training, and of practice. For it is not easily achieved, but very difficult and involving much toil. “In whatever state I am,” he says, “to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have been initiated.” That is, I know how to use little, and to bear hunger and want. “Both to abound and to be in want.” Yes, someone says; but abounding is not a matter of knowledge, any more than of virtue. It is very much a matter of virtue, no less than the other. How? Because just as straitness prompts many to do evil, so does plenty.