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From: Philippians 2:12-18
The Children of God Are the Light of the World
[14] Do all things without grumbling or questioning, [15] that you may be blame-
less and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and
perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, [16] holding
fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run
in vain or labor in vain. [17] Even if I am to be poured as a libation upon the sacri-
ficial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. [18] Likewise you
also should be glad and rejoice with me.
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Commentary:
12-18. St Paul now points out that reflection on Christ’s example should lead
Christians to make a genuine and generous effort to attain salvation. When he
was in their midst, they did try to do this; he is no longer with them, but they
should still be pressing forward (v. 12). In doing so, they are always being
helped by grace, which will lead them to implement God’s plans for them (v.
13).
With God’s help Christians should light up the world by the example of their ho-
nest, simple lives (v. 14). The Apostle points out that his work will be effective if
they conduct themselves as children of God and bear witness to others concer-
ning the word of salvation (vv. 16-17). The Philippians’ response to grace more
than repays him for all his efforts and fills his heart with joy (v. 18).
12-13. Perseverance in faith and charity until the end of one’s life is a gift from
God. This perseverance is possible provided one does not frustrate the graces
which God continues to provide. In this connection the Council of Trent stresses
that “all ought to have most secure hope in the help of God. For unless men are
unfaithful to his grace, God will bring the good work to perfection, just as he be-
gan it, working both the will and the performance” (”De Iustificatione”, chap. 13).
“For his good pleasure”: the grace God gives a person to enable him to perform
supernatural acts is an expression of his benevolence; he wants all men to be
saved. Man can do nothing that leads to eternal life unless he be moved by grace
And yet grace does not overpower our freedom: it is we who love, and we who act.
Man’s inability to perform meritorious actions on his own should not cause him to
lose heart. On the contrary, it is an additional reason why we should be grateful
to God, for he is always ready to give us the help of grace; grace enables us to
do good works, which are efficacious for meriting heaven. St Francis de Sales
gives this example to show the wonderful way God’s love works: “when an affec-
tionate mother is teaching her little child to walk, she helps him and holds him if
necessary, directing him to safer places and more level ground, holding him by
the hand and keeping him there, or lifting him up in her arms. Our Lady similarly
watches over the steps her children take” (”Treatise on the Love of God”, book
3, chap. 4).
God’s solicitude towards us should not, however, be an excuse for inaction on
our part. He is always desirous of entering our soul (cf. Rev 3:20), but he will not
do so if we refuse to listen to his voice; if we bar our heart to him. Hence St
Paul’s advice: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (v. 12). This
is an urgent invitation to second the action of God’s grace in our soul. The “fear”
and “trembling” are the fear of a good child who does not want to displease some-
one who loves him (cf. 2 Cor 7:15); this filial fear is closely connected with the joy
of sensing God (cf. Ps 2:11) and it is sweetened by the sure knowledge that God
himself is bent on our being holy; “we must [...] not be dispirited. We must not be
stopped by any kind of human calculation. To overcome the obstacles we have to
throw ourselves into the task so that the very effort we make will open up new
paths” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 160).
14-15. In the midst of people who sometimes turn their backs on God, a Chris-
tian should always act in a “blameless and innocent” way that befits a child of
God. By so doing his work and social dealings will be “lights in the world”, sho-
wing everyone the way, with the light of Christ. “Don’t let your life be barren. Be
useful. Make yourself felt. Shine forth with the torch of your faith and your love.
With your apostolic life, wipe out the trail of filth and slime left by the unclean
sowers of hatred. And set aflame all the ways of the earth with the fire of Christ
that you bear in your heart” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 1).
The first Christians did not go in fear of the world, despite being surrounded by
depravity and wickedness. Although the equals of their fellow-citizens, their way
of acting exerted a supernatural influence on the society of which they formed
part. They were putting into practice their Master’s teaching: “Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Fa-
ther who is in heaven” (Mt 5:16).
“The difference between Christians and the rest of mankind is not a matter of na-
tionality, or language, or customs. Christians do not live apart in separate cities
of their own, they do not speak any special dialect, or practice any separate way
of life [...]. To put it briefly, the relationship of Christians is to the world as that of
soul to body. As the soul is diffused through every part of the body, so are Chris-
tians through all the world” (”Letter to Diognetus”, 5, 1 and 2; 6, 1).
Today, as then, Christians continue to be a leaven of spiritual and truly human
life. Nothing human is a matter of indifference to them.
In addition to the many human reasons which motivate this way of acting, the
faithful also draw inspiration from their faith: “Every Christian should make Christ
present among men; he ought to act in such a way that those who know him
sense ‘the fragrance of Christ’ (cf. 2 Cor 2:15). People should be able to recog-
nize the Master in his disciples” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 105).
17. In some of the sacrifices regulated by the Mosaic Law (cf. Ex 29: 40; Num
15:5, 7; 28:14-15) as also in many types of pagan sacrifice, a libation was poured
over the sacrificial victim. In pagan rites this consisted in pouring wine over the ho-
locaust while it was actually burning on the altar. St Paul’s words here refer to this
rite. Up to this he has offered his life as a sacrifice so that the faith might spread
to all men; now he is ready to go further to shed his blood as a libation to make
his sacrifice complete. Should it prove necessary to die a martyr’s death, that
would not sadden him; he would be very happy.
Many saints have felt the same way. St Ignatius of Antioch, for example, asked
the Christians of Rome to sing in thanksgiving to God when the time came for
him to be thrown to the lions: “Suffer me to be a libation poured out to God, while
there is still an altar ready for me. Then you may form a loving choir around it and
sing hymns of praise in Jesus Christ to the Father” (”Letter to the Romans”, II, 2).
Total self-surrender and unreserved commitment to his vocation should categorize
an apostle’s life, for he should always bear in mind that “no ideal becomes a reali-
ty without sacrifice” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 175). Self-denial, therefore is ab-
solutely essential if one is to fully identify with Christ. However, “Many who would
willingly let themselves be nailed to a cross before the astonished gaze of a thou
sand onlookers cannot bear with a Christian spirit the pinpricks of each day!
Think, then, which is the more heroic” (”The Way”, 204).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.