In today's first reading, Philippians 1: 18b-26, St. Paul's states that he rejoices as long as Christ is being proclaimed, whether that proclamation is genuine or in pretense. For Paul and for all of us, Christ is our deliverance. Paul's "eager expectation and hope is that [he] shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death." That is, I pray, your hope and mine as well. Living from this kind of faith can be a challenge, especially when we seem to be dealing with "death" to our heartfelt desires, when a loved one is at the door of eternity and we are being asked to let go, when forces of evil seems to be thriving and forces of good retrieving from the nation.
Whatever kind of death we may be facing, bodily death or the death of our hopes for our nation, our families, our community, or for another human being or for ourselves, may we, as with St. Paul in his day, "continue in the service of [others] for [their] progress and joy in the faith, so that...boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account [of us]..."
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