Tuesday, November 4, 2014

The kenosis of Christ in Paul's joyful letter to the Philippians: Daily Mass Readings--Tuesday, November 4th, 2014


(Listen to this homily here).

We heard yesterday and today and will continue to hear over the next couple of days the letter to the Philippians.  This letter can easily be read in one sitting—it would take only ten or fifteen minutes to read.
            In it Paul utters extreme joy for the Lord in thanksgiving for all the gifts God has given us.  Because of this, the Philippians ought to live in such joy and find unity in Christ.
            We heard one of Paul’s most famous passages from his writings in this first reading.  We frequently pray this in the breviary, especially on Saturday evenings as we begin to celebrate the Lord’s Day.  Paul writes: “[Jesus] though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave…he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.”
            In our theological tradition we describe this self-emptying of Christ with a Greek word called kenosis (a good cocktail word!).  This word describes a full emptying of oneself and a gift of self to God and others. 
            This is what we are called to do.  This section begins with Paul encouraging the Philippians: “Brothers and sisters: Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus…”  Just as Jesus emptied himself to his people and to his Father, we are to do this as well, to have this self-emptying kenosis ourselves.
            Paul didn’t just write about such an outpouring of self, he lived it.  He wrote the letter to the Philippians while he was in prison.  What really inspires me is that he wrote with such joy.  This wasn’t written by a man on a vacation, a man by a swimming pool or a man on a cruise.  This was written by a man in prison, who recognized that because of Christ’s self sacrifice and kenosis, we can have nothing but joy in our hearts.  We must respond with our own self-emptying and with our own gift of ourselves to God and His people.

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