From Rubbish to Resurrection: The Price of Intimacy
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Philippians 3:7-11
Yet, whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the surpassing knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God, dependent on faith. I want to know Christ and the power flowing from his resurrection; likewise to know how to share in his sufferings by being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Grace Prayed For
The scripture passage prompts the reader to pray for the grace of radical spiritual detachment. The grace to consider everything a loss except for the surpassing knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, and the courage to join Him in His suffering so that His resurrection power may work through me.
Reflection
The Apostle Paul gives us the ultimate picture of “The Journey of Intimacy: Trials and Transformation”. He takes his entire life—his credentials, his success, his religious “gains”—and willingly calls it “loss” and “rubbish” to secure the single, priceless prize: the surpassing knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. This is the secret to growing in intimacy with our Trinitarian God. To gain Christ, we must first be willing to empty ourselves, mirroring the self-giving love of the Son, who “accepted the loss of all things” on the Cross.
To truly share and receive in all our encounters is to be conformed to this pattern of divine love. We must first receive the righteousness that comes from God, dependent on faith, not our own efforts. It is this unearned, transforming love—Jesus loving me, Jesus loving you—that is the very power flowing from the Resurrection. The depth of my relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is not measured by my achievements, but by how fully I have accepted this gift.
The mission described in this passage is not a casual partnership; it’s an intimate joining. Paul says he wants to “share in his sufferings by being conformed to his death.” This is the ultimate trial on the journey of intimacy. It means that when we take this message out into the world, allowing the love of God to shine forth, we stand in solidarity with Jesus, receiving the suffering that comes with loving and being vulnerable. But in this shared suffering—the trial—comes the transformation: the confident expectation of the resurrection from the dead. Our Baptismal mission, therefore, is to live so closely to Christ’s self-giving love that our very lives become a proclamation: I have surrendered everything to gain this love, and this love alone has impacted my life and restored my soul. Now, I am ready to share it with the world.
Daily Evangelization and Baptismal Mission
Evangelizing in Day-to-Day Life
To proclaim the Gospel and fulfill your Baptismal mission (partnering with Jesus to restore creation) is simply to let the love that has impacted your life flow naturally from you in your daily encounters: Handle Conflict with Patience and Compassion: When disagreements or frustrations arise, choose patience over reaction. By seeking to understand the other person’s pain or perspective, you are sharing in a small way in Christ’s work of reconciliation.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post