The Holy Apostle Philip, One of the Seven Deacons; Our Venerable Father Theophanes the Branded, Composer of Canons (845)
Philippians 1:8-14; Luke 5:12-16
Read Philippians 1:8-14
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Notice how St. Paul puts Christ first in his life even in the moments of suffering and persecution. He could have complained and grumbled at the fact that his freedom was impaired and that he was now in an uncomfortable situation, but he was not afraid, he trusted in the Lord that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). St. Paul understood that this was an opportunity to preach the Gospel to those who have not yet come to know Christ —to bring salvation to more people. He also understood that his confidence and boldness in the Gospel in the face of opposition brought encouragement, and great consolation, to the wider Church. Others were embolden to preach the Gospel following his example and thus more people would hear the Good News and come to Christ.
How is it possible for us to achieve this level of faith and confidence in the Gospel? Like St. Paul we have to start seeking to put Christ first in our life in the little things. Striving to apply his commandments in daily living. This is where it begins. We can’t expect to be imprisoned for the Gospel if we are not willing to spend an extra 15min in prayer, Liturgy, or reading the Scripture. We can’t expect to encourage others in faith with our example in difficult times if we don’t strive to live righteously when no one is looking. And we can’t expect to be great evangelizers for the faith if we don’t strive to be evangelized first ourselves. It starts with the fundamentals of living our life in Christ, striving to please Him in all that we do, say and act.