Citizens of Heaven: Being Imitators of Christ in a Secular Age
November 8, 2024 - Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Phil 3:17—4:1
In today’s excerpt from his letter to the Philippians, Paul speaks about spiritual mentorship, warns against the enemies of the cross, and reminds us of our true citizenship in heaven. Let us reflect briefly on these topics and their relevance for our times.
Paul begins by encouraging the Philippians to be imitators of him and those who model their lives on the lifestyle of the apostles. It is worth pondering why Paul did not advise them to be imitators of Christ, as Thomas à Kempis did centuries later in his famous book, The Imitation of Christ. If our biblical scholars are right, the Gospels had not yet been written at that time. However, the faithful could still meet those who had encountered Christ, and Paul was one of them.
There is a beautiful line in the movie Paul, Apostle of Christ, spoken by Luke to the imprisoned Paul: “I have seen Christ in you.” The Philippians could not see Christ, but they could see Paul and observe his lifestyle, which was modeled on Christ. To the Corinthian Christians, he wrote: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). On the other hand, even then, there were preachers and believers who embraced worldly standards and lived “as enemies of the cross of Christ” (Phil. 3:18).
Our situation in the 21st century is different from that of the Philippians. We cannot see Christ or Paul, but we have the Gospels. Like many saints of the past, we can try to model our lives on the Christ portrayed by the evangelists. This has led to the transformation of our societies. Hospitals, centers of education, prison ministries, missionary outreach, the abolition of slavery, and the notions of freedom and human dignity—all of these have their roots in the Gospels and were championed by Christians who, like Paul, were imitators of Christ. But what about us? Do we try to model our lives on Christ? Can we find role models of whom we could say, “I see Christ in you”?
As humans, from the early stages of life, we imitate others. This is evident in the “personality cults” so prevalent in our societies. In the 1950s, there was the “Elvis Army,” fervent supporters who idolized Elvis Presley almost to the point of worship. In the 1960s, there was Beatlemania, a global phenomenon marked by extreme behavior, including screaming, fainting, and chasing the Beatles. Today, we have Swiftmania, the intense enthusiasm and dedication of Taylor Swift’s fans toward her music, public appearances, and personal life. These personalities, talented and successful as they were and are, have not been imitators of Christ.
On April 2, 2005, John Paul II was dying. In France, a young man was listening to reports of the Pope’s last hours. When his death was announced, he cried. For him, like for many others who gathered at that hour in Saint Peter’s Square and shouted “Santo Subito – canonize him immediately,” John Paul II was an imitator of Christ. His life and death made such an impact on that young man that he gave up the world, joined a seminary, left his beloved country and family, and went to a distant land in Asia to preach the Gospel of Christ.
Most of us pursue worldly success; heaven is not on our radar. Paul reminds us of what Jesus also told His disciples: although we live in the world, we are not of this world (see John 17:16). “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). This statement relativizes the values that the world holds so dear: accumulating wealth, status, power, nationalism, or any political ideology. Our standards are shaped by the Gospel, our lifestyle is modeled on Christ, and our destination goes beyond this world into God’s eternal kingdom. Paul embodied all of these in his life. Let us pray that we can also do so in our times.