Homilies on Philippians 4

'And what I shall choose, I know not.'

'For I am hemmed in between the two, having the desire to depart and to be with Christ;'

'for that is far better;'

'yet to abide in the flesh is more needful for your sake.'

'And having this confidence, I know that I shall remain, and continue with you all, for your progress and joy of faith;'

'that your rejoicing may abound in Christ Jesus in me, through my coming to you again.'

Nothing is more blessed than Paul's soul, since nothing is more noble.

But now it is timely to say the opposite concerning all of us;

nothing is weaker than we, nor more wretched.

For this reason we all shudder at death—some because of the multitude of their sins, of whom I myself am one; others because of their love of life and their wretchedness, among whom may I never be.

For they are men of the natural mind who are gripped by this fear.

This very thing, then, at which we all shudder, that man prayed for, and toward it he pressed on, saying, 'To depart is far better; yet what I shall choose I know not.'

What do you say? Being about to be removed from here into heaven, and to be with Christ, do you not know what you will choose? But these things are far from the soul of Paul.

For if anyone had told this to another and confirmed it, would he not straightway have seized upon it? 'Yes,' he says;

'but just as it does not rest with us to depart and to be with Christ,

so neither does it rest with us, when it is possible to attain this, to remain here;

but both belong to Paul and to that soul of his.'

What do you say? You know and are persuaded that you are about to be with Christ, and yet you waver, saying, 'I know not what I shall choose'? And not this only, but you even choose the things here, I mean to abide in the flesh? What in the world can this be? Was not the life you lived exceedingly bitter—in watchings, in shipwrecks, in hunger and thirst and nakedness, in anxieties, in cares? With the weak you were weak, and for those who were made to stumble you burned.

'In much patience,' he says, 'in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in fastings, in purity;

five times I received forty stripes save one, thrice I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, a night and a day I have spent in the deep;

in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils among false brethren.'

Was it not you who, when the whole nation of the Galatians turned back to the observance of the Law, cried out saying, 'You who would be justified by the Law have fallen from grace'? How greatly did you then mourn—and yet you still long for this perishable life? For if none of these things had befallen you, but you had accomplished all that you accomplished in security and in ease, ought you not, in fear of the uncertainty of what is to come, to hasten toward some harbor? What merchant, tell me, having his vessel full of countless treasures, when he might run into harbor and take his rest, would choose to be still tossed upon the sea? What contestant, when he might

be crowned, would choose to go on contending? What boxer, when he might bind on the crown, would choose to enter the arena again and to cut open his own head? What sort of general, when he might depart from the war with glory and trophies and rest with the king in the royal palace, would consent still to sweat and to be drawn up in battle array? How then, living so bitter a life, do you still wish to remain here? Were you not the one who said, 'I fear lest, having preached to others, I myself should be found disqualified'? If for no other reason, then for this at least you ought to have desired your release;

even if the present things were full of countless blessings, yet for the sake of Christ whom you long for, you ought to have longed for release from them.

Oh, the soul of Paul!

Nothing equal to it has ever come to be, nor shall be.

You fear the future, you are hemmed in by countless terrors, and yet you do not wish to be with Christ? 'No,' he says;

'and this too is for Christ's sake, that I may render those whom I have made His servants more devoted to Him;

that the field which I have planted I may cause to bear fruit.'

Did you not hear me, that I seek not my own advantage, but that of my neighbors? Did you not hear that I could wish to be accursed from Christ for the sake of many coming to Him? Shall not he who chose that far rather choose this—gladly damaging himself by the delay and the postponement, that to those others some salvation might come? Who shall tell of Your mighty acts, O Lord, that You did not suffer Paul to lie hidden, that You showed to the world such a man? All the angels praised You with one accord when You made the stars—surely also when You made the sun;

but not so much as when You showed us and the whole world Paul.

For this reason the earth has become more radiant than heaven; this man, more brilliant than the light of the sun, sent forth more dazzling gleams and spread out more resplendent rays.

How great a fruit did this man bring forth for us—not fattening ears of grain, nor nourishing pomegranates, but bearing the fruit of godliness, bringing it to its prime, and continually restoring it when it fell away? And rightly so;

for this sun of ours can do nothing to profit the fruit of the trees once it has utterly rotted.

But Paul called back from their sins those who had countless corruptions;

and this sun yields to the night, but that man overcame the devil.

Nothing overtook him, nothing mastered him.

The one, borne on high, casts its rays downward;

but he, rising from below, did not fill with light merely the space between heaven and earth, but the moment he opened his mouth, he filled the very angels with abundant delight.

How so? For if there is joy in the heavens over one sinner that repents, and he in his very first discourse hunted down many, how should he not fill the powers above with joy?

And why do I say this? Simply for Paul to speak is enough for the heavens to leap and rejoice over it.

For if, when the Israelites went out of Egypt, the mountains leaped like rams,

when men were removed from earth to heaven, how great do you think the joy was? For these reasons, 'To abide in the flesh is more needful for your sakes.'

What excuse, then, shall we henceforth have? For often a man is allotted a small and poor city, and does not choose to depart elsewhere, preferring his own repose;

Paul had it in his power to depart to Christ, and yet he did not choose Christ;

Christ, whom he so longed for that for His sake he would even choose hell;

and yet he still remained, striving for the sake of men.

What excuse shall we have? But ought we merely to make mention of Paul in passing? See what he wrought;

he showed that it was better to depart, persuading them not to grieve;

he showed that even if he remains, he remains for this reason, for their sake, and that it does not come about from the wickedness of those who plot against him.

Therefore, that he might render them worthy of belief, he also set down the reason.

'For if this is needful, then assuredly I shall remain—and not simply remain, but remain with you;

for this is the meaning of 'And I shall continue with you,' that is, 'I shall see you.'

For what purpose? 'For your progress and joy of faith.'

Here he also rouses them, so that they might take heed to themselves.

'For if for your sakes,' he says, 'I remain, see that you do not put my remaining to shame.'

'Being about to see Christ, I chose to remain for the sake of your progress.'

'Since my presence contributes both to your faith and to your joy, for this reason I chose to remain.'

What then? Did he remain for the sake of the Philippians alone? He did not remain for their sakes alone;

but he says this in order to comfort them.

But how was it possible to make progress in faith? 'That you may be the more established, like fledglings that have need of the mother until their wings are set firm.'

This is a token of great love.

In this way we too rouse certain persons, as when we say:

'For your sake I remained, that I might make you good.'

'That your boasting,' he says, 'may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my coming to you again.'

Do you see that this is the meaning of 'I shall continue with you'? Behold his humility;

since he said, 'For your progress,' he shows that it is also for his own benefit.

This he does also when writing to the Romans, saying:

and this is 'to be comforted together among you';

having first said, 'That I may impart to you some spiritual gift.'

But what is the meaning of 'That your boasting may abound'? That which was indeed their boasting—to be established in the faith (for this is boasting in Christ), to live uprightly.

'Your boasting in me through my coming to you again'? 'Yes,' he says.

'For what is our hope, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you? For you are our boasting, just as we are yours;'

that is, 'that I may have grounds to boast in you the more.'

How? 'That your boasting may abound.'

'For I have the more to boast of, when you have advanced.'

'Through my coming to you again.'

What then? Did he come to them? This you inquire—whether he came.

'Only,' he says, 'conduct yourselves worthily of the Gospel of Christ.'

Do you see that he said all these things for this purpose, that he might urge them on to give themselves to virtue? 'Only conduct yourselves worthily of the Gospel of Christ.'

What is the meaning of 'Only'? It means: this alone is what is sought, and nothing else.

If this be so, no grief will befall us.

That whether I come and see you, or am absent, I may hear the tidings concerning you.

He says this not as one changing his mind, nor as though he would no longer come;

but he says: if this comes to pass, I am able to rejoice even while absent.

If I hear that you stand fast in one spirit and one soul.

This above all is what welds believers together and holds love firm;

for this reason Christ says, 'That they may be one.'

For indeed, 'A kingdom divided against itself shall not stand.'

For this reason Paul also everywhere gives much counsel in favour of concord;

and for this reason Christ also says, 'By this shall all know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.'

That is: do not fall asleep looking to my expected coming, as though awaiting my arrival;

and then, when you see that I do not come, grow slack.

For indeed I am able to rejoice equally from mere report.

What is the meaning of 'in one spirit'? It means: in the same gift, that of concord, that of zeal.

For the spirit is one, and this he shows by the fact that it is so spoken of in many places.

For thus it is possible also to stand fast in one soul, when we all have one spirit.

See, the word 'one' is spoken with reference to concord;

'The heart,' it says, 'of all was one, and the soul.'

Striving together for the faith of the Gospel.

Is it then as though the faith were contending, that they strive together, he means, with one another? What sense would that make? For surely they were not wrestling against one another? But what he means is this:

Take one another as fellow-companions, he says, in the contest for the faith of the Gospel.

And in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them

a token of perdition, but to you of salvation.

for such are the things that come from enemies;

'In nothing' therefore, he says, whatever may happen, whether dangers, whether plots;

for this is the mark of those who stand upright.

For those men can do nothing but only terrify.

Since it was likely that they were troubled, seeing that Paul was suffering countless things,

'I do not say,' he says, 'Be not shaken,' but 'Be not terrified'; nay rather, utterly despise them.

For if you are so disposed, you will thereby already make plain both their perdition and your own salvation.

For when they see that, though they devise countless schemes, they cannot even terrify you, they will take it as a proof of their own perdition.

For when the persecutors do not prevail over the persecuted, the plotters over those they plot against, the strong over those they would master, will it not straightway be plain to them that they shall perish, that they avail nothing, that their cause is false and the others' cause, though weak in appearance, is strong? And this too is from God, he says;

for to you it was granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.

Again he teaches them to keep their thoughts modest, ascribing all to God, and calling it grace and a gift and a bounty to suffer for Christ.

So be not ashamed of the gift;

for it is in truth far more wonderful than to raise the dead and to work signs.

For in the one case I am a debtor, but in the other I have Christ as my debtor.

So that we ought not only not to be ashamed, but even to exult, as having a gift of grace.

He calls the virtues gifts of grace, yet not in the same manner as the other gifts;

for those are wholly of God, but these are also of ourselves.

But since here too the greater part is God's, for this reason he says it is wholly His, not overturning free will, but fashioning them to be modest-minded and thankful.

Having the same conflict which you saw in me.

That is: you have also the example.

Again here he lifts them up.

For he shows that everywhere they were contending in the same struggles as himself, undergoing the same contests, both privately and each on their own, by sharing his trials together with him.

He did not say 'You have heard,' but 'You saw';

for there too he contended, in Philippi.

So then this is a great virtue.

Wherefore also, writing to the Galatians, he said, 'Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it be indeed in vain?'

And again, writing to the Hebrews, he said, 'But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after you were enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings; partly by being made a spectacle through reproaches and afflictions, and partly by becoming partakers with those who were so treated.'

And again, writing to the Macedonians, that is, to the Thessalonians, he said:

'For they themselves report concerning us what manner of entering in we had unto you;'

'For you yourselves know, brethren, our entering in unto you, that it was not in vain.'

And to all alike he bears the same witness, of contests and struggles.

But nowadays you will not find this among us;

for now it is much if anyone suffer anything even in the matter of money.

And in the matter of money too he bears them great witness;

for to the one he says, 'You received with joy the plundering of your possessions;'

and to another he says, 'It pleased Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor;'

and again, 'Your zeal has stirred up the greater number.'

Do you see the praises of the men of that time? But we do not endure even so far as buffetings, nor even a blow, nor do we bear insult or the loss of money.

Those men were already zealous, and all of them contending as martyrs;

but we have let grow cold our love toward Christ.

Again I am compelled to accuse the present state of affairs.

And what am I to do? I would not wish it, but I am compelled.

For if by keeping silence and saying nothing it were possible, through that silence, to make what happens vanish away, then one ought to keep silent;

but if the contrary comes to pass (for not only does it not vanish when we are silent, but it becomes even worse)

For he who accuses those who sin, even if he accomplish nothing else, does not suffer the evil to advance further.

For there is no soul so shameless and reckless that, when it continually hears certain people reproaching it, it is not put to shame, nor relaxes somewhat of its great wickedness.

For there is, indeed there is, even in the shameless some small measure of shame;

for God sowed shame into our nature.

For since fear alone did not suffice to govern us, He also devised many other ways to keep us from sinning;

such as, to be accused by our fellow men, to dread the established laws, to love good repute, to lay claim to friendship.

For all these are ways of not sinning.

For oftentimes what was not done for God's sake has been done out of shame;

and what was not done for God's sake has been done through fear of men.

For this is the thing sought after:

first, to learn not to sin;

then afterwards we shall succeed in doing this for God's sake.

For why does Paul, when urging those who are to prevail over their enemies, exhort them not from the fear of God, but even from awaiting requital? For in doing this, he says, you shall heap coals of fire upon his head.

For meanwhile this is what he desires, that virtue be accomplished.

As then I was saying, there is in us something prone to shame;

for we have many natural goods disposed toward virtue;

for instance, we all as human beings are moved by nature toward showing mercy, and nothing else in our nature is so good as this.

Whence one might reasonably inquire why this above all has been sown into our nature—I mean, to be broken down by tears, to be bent with compassion, to be ready for mercy.

No one is by nature slothful, no one is by nature free from vainglory, no one is by nature superior to envy;

but the showing of mercy is implanted by nature in all, even if one be brutal, even if he be harsh.

And what wonder if we display this toward human beings, when we pity even wild beasts?

so abundantly is mercy implanted in us.

Even if we see a lion's cub, we feel something;

but toward one of our own kind, much more so.

See how many cripples there are, we often say, knowing that this too is enough to move us to mercy.

Nothing so gladdens God as mercy.

Therefore the priests were anointed with this, and the kings, and the prophets;

for the oil was a symbol of God's lovingkindness toward mankind.

Again they were being taught that the ruler must have mercy in fuller measure;

it was made plain that the Spirit is to come upon man because of mercy;

since God has mercy on men, and deals lovingly with them.

For You have mercy on all, it says, because You can do all things.

For indeed He established the priesthood out of mercy, and the kings were anointed with oil.

And if one praises a ruler, he will say nothing so fitting for him as mercy;

for this is proper to rule—to show mercy.

Consider that the world was established through mercy, and imitate the Master.

The mercy of man is upon his neighbor, but the mercy of the Lord is upon all flesh.

How, upon all flesh? Whether you name sinners, or whether you name the righteous, we all stand in need of God's mercy;

we all enjoy it, be it Paul himself, or Peter, or John.

And hear them saying so;

for there is no need of words of ours.

For what does this blessed one say? But I obtained mercy, because I did it in ignorance.

What then? Did he not need mercy after this? Hear what he says again:

I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

And concerning Epaphroditus he says:

For indeed he was sick, nigh unto death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow;

and again, We were weighed down, he says, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life.

But we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God, who delivered us from so great deaths, and will deliver us;

and again, I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion, and the Lord will deliver me.

And everywhere we shall find him boasting of this—that it was by mercy.

And Peter too became such through having obtained mercy.

For hear Christ saying to him:

Peter, Peter, Satan has desired to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not.

And John too was such through mercy, and all the apostles simply likewise.

For hear Christ hinting at this and saying:

You did not choose Me, but I chose you.

For we all stand in need of God's mercy;

For the mercy of God, it says, is upon all flesh.

But if these men needed God's mercy, what would one say concerning the rest? For whence, tell me, does He make the sun rise upon the evil and the good? And what? If He held back the rain for only a single year, would He not destroy all men? And what, if He wrought a flood of rain? And what, if He rained down fire? And what, if He sent flies? But why do I say these things? If He made darkness, as He once did, would He not destroy all men? If He shook the earth, would not all perish? What is man, that You are mindful of him? It is timely now to say:

if He but threaten the earth, all men become one grave.

As a drop of water from a bucket, it says, so are the nations before Him;

they shall be counted as spittle, as the tipping of a balance.

As it is easy for us to move the beam of a balance, so it is for Him to destroy all things, and to make them again.

He then who has such great authority over us, and who sees us sinning daily, and yet does not punish us—does He not sustain us by mercy? Since even the cattle both are and are preserved by mercy;

For You will save both men and cattle, O Lord, it says.

He looked upon the earth, and filled it with living creatures.

But you—why did He make you? Was it not out of goodness? Nothing is better than oil;

it is the cause of light both there and here.

And your light shall break forth as the morning, says the prophet, if you show mercy to your neighbor;

Just as this oil affords light to those at sea, so almsgiving there bestows on us a great and wondrous light.

And great was Paul's discourse concerning this mercy.

For hear him at one time saying, Only that we should remember the poor;

And at another time he says, 'If it be worthy that I also should go.'

And everywhere, up and down, you see him taking anxious thought about this.

And again, 'Let our people also learn to be forward in good works.'

And again, 'For these things are good and profitable unto men.'

Hear, too, another who says, 'Almsgiving delivereth from death.'

And another, 'If thou shouldst take away mercy, O Lord, Lord, who shall stand?' And, 'If thou shouldst enter,' he says, 'into judgment with thy servant.'

And another, 'A man is a great thing, and a merciful man an honourable one.'

For this is what makes a man—to be merciful.

Or rather, this is what God is—to show mercy.

Do you see how great is the power of the mercy of God? This it was that made all things; this fashioned the world; this made the angels, out of goodness alone.

For this reason also He threatened hell, that we might attain the kingdom.

And we attain the kingdom through mercy.

For tell me, why, when God was alone, did He make so many beings? Was it not out of goodness? Was it not out of love toward man? If you ask why this and why that, everywhere you will find His goodness.

Let us therefore have mercy on our neighbours, that we ourselves may obtain mercy.

It is not for them so much as for ourselves that we lay up this mercy against that Day.

When the flame of the fire is fierce, this mercy is a quencher of the fire for it, but for us the cause of light.

Thus by this shall we be delivered from the fire of hell.

For otherwise, whence shall one be moved to compassion and show mercy? Mercy springs from love.

Nothing so provokes God as to be unmerciful.

There was brought to him one who owed ten thousand talents, and being moved with compassion he forgave him.

And that man was owed by his fellow-servant a hundred pence, and he took him by the throat.

For this reason the master delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay what was owing.

Hearing these things, let us be merciful.

—toward those who are debtors, whether in money or in sins.

Let no one be resentful, if indeed he would not wrong himself.

For by not forgiving him, you do not grieve him so much as you wrong yourself.

For if you pursue him with vengeance, God does not pursue him.

But if you leave him alone, then either He Himself pursues him, or He remits your own sins.

And how, when you do not forgive your neighbour, do you seek the kingdom? That we may not suffer this, let us forgive all men.

And let us forgive, that God may forgive us our sins, and so may we obtain the good things to come, and what follows.