Philippians 1:1-11
New Catholic Bible
Introduction
Chapter 1
Address.[a] 1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with their bishops and deacons: 2 grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Joyful Prayer for the Philippians.[b] 3 I give thanks to my God every time I think of you. 4 I always pray for you, interceding for you with joy 5 because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this: that the one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus.[c]
7 It is only right for me to feel this way toward you, because I hold you in my heart, for you have all shared with me in God’s grace, both during my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 Indeed, God is my witness how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And for this I pray: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and full insight 10 to enable you to discover what is really important, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 filled with the fruits of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Philippians 1:1 While writing to all of the baptized—“the saints”—the author thinks in particular of the responsibility of the “bishops” (literally, “overseers”), that is, of those who, under the higher authority of the apostles and with the help of deacons (literally, “assistants”), lead and encourage the community (see 1 Tim 3:1; 5:17; Tit 1:5-9).
- Philippians 1:3 This prayer, filled with confidence and thanksgiving, gives us a glimpse of the deep attachment held by Paul, the prisoner, for the living community of Philippi that shares his concerns and his initiatives. He regards the action and life of Christians as a project that must be ceaselessly developed until the encounter with Christ at his Second Coming. Hence, he prays that believers might have the spiritual sense that will enable them to take hold of the essential, i.e., the very will of the Lord, in any situation: faith and love will help discern what is the best thing for them to do.
- Philippians 1:6 The day of Christ Jesus: the Second Coming of the Lord in all his glory, when the faithful will be with him and will share in eternal glory (see 1 Cor 1:8; Phil 1:10; 2:16; 3:20f; 1 Thes 4:17; 5:10; 2 Thes 1:10).
