THE SUPREME ADVANTAGE OF KNOWING CHRIST



THURSDAY, THIRTY FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Phil 3:3-8; Ps 105:2-7; Lk 15:1-10

Supreme Advantage of knowing Christ

In today’s passage from Philippians, Paul delves into more reasons to undertake the journey into Jesus Christ. Though the journey would be demanding, for it is through a narrow path, it is worth the effort. Because we usually name a process after its end, this journey is called Chrismation. It is a journey that immerses us in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the end of the journey. Hence, the personal cost of the journey is nothing compared to what we would get when the journey ends. As we read yesterday in the gospel, the journey would cost us everything we have, but we will gain Jesus Christ, who is God forever. It is the exchange of a creature for the Creator, the cessation of a merely creaturely life for participation in the life of the Creator. Thus, Paul rejects the glory of creatures in the face of the divine glory that this journey will confer on us. “We are the real people of the circumcision, we who worship in accordance with the Spirit of God; we have our own glory from Christ Jesus without having to rely on a physical operation.” To live by ourselves will surely bring us to nothing glorious. It will end badly, given our fallen nature. Hence, we must switch from a life by ourselves to a life by the Spirit of God.

Paul showcased his gains in the physical life and considered them useless compared to the enduring glory of the spiritual life. He is a Hebrew of Hebrew parents, he is of the tribe of Benjamin, circumcised on the 8th day after birth, strictly observed the Law as a Pharisee, fought for his religious convictions, and persecuted the Church. The righteousness that accrued to him from these self-operations he rejected when he gained knowledge of Jesus Christ. “But because of Christ, I have come to consider all these advantages that I had as disadvantages. Not only that, but I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Through this argument, Paul presents the necessity of journeying to Jesus Christ. We are called Christians because of this journey before us, which we must make. We will become Christian indeed only at the end. When the journey ends, we can say that we know Jesus Christ in the sense Paul posits in the passage. This knowledge of Jesus Christ is active and operational in us. Through our knowledge of Jesus Christ, as presented by Paul, we realised his presence among men. In this sense, we stated that our vocation is to become priests, for Jesus Christ is the High Priest of God's true religion.

Subsequently, the possibility of this realisation of Jesus Christ among us causes the angels to rejoice when a sinner converts to God, as our Lord himself revealed to the Pharisees in the gospel. “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.” It is not only the angels that rejoice. Their rejoicing also demonstrates the joy of the Lord in his saints. The parable that our Lord used to teach the Pharisees the importance of Christian conversion indicates this joy of the Lord. Given that all men are like sheep that belong to Jesus Christ, the true Shepherd raised by God the Father to bring us back to our heavenly pasture, then he rejoices whenever we decide to make our journey home to him. By this parable of the lost sheep, our Lord presents his coming in human nature as a seeking of the lost sheep of God. As we stated earlier this week, his humanity shows us the starting point of our journey home to God. This is why he came to us, that we may safely make our journey home to him. “In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.” Those who do not need repentance are the ones who are not on the journey, being ignorant of God and his demands on us. Anyone who knows God in and through Jesus Christ understands the demands of his divine Majesty on us, and constantly repents from our sins, as we do often at the penitential rite of our Eucharistic celebration.

Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, your grace in abundance, that we come to understand the uselessness of our works of righteousness, so that filled with the knowledge of your divine Majesty and holiness, we may repent of our sins as we walk on the narrow path that leads into the mystery of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.

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