This is Cardinal Francis George. I invite you to join me for the next two minutes to reflect

with Father Robert Barron on the Word of God, which is the Word on Fire. Word on Fire Catholic

Ministries is a non-profit ministry at the forefront of Catholic evangelization, using

new media to spread the faith and every continent. Father Barron challenges us to open our hearts

to the Word on Fire, which is God's Word of Love for each of us. If our hearts are open,

the Lord can change and transform us so that we might speak with love about the one who

is love. The global benefactors of Word on Fire with the support of the Archdiocese of

Chicago now present Word on Fire.

Peace be with you. Friends on this 26th Sunday in ordinary time, we have a tremendous privilege.

The privilege of reading a passage from Paul's letter to the Philippians. It's from chapter

two of that letter, and it's one of the most stunning and illuminating passages in the

New Testament. Let me say a quick word about Paul and Philippi. This was a church that he

knew and loved that comes through in the letter very clearly. It's also the first city in Europe

that Paul evangelized. So Paul's working in Asia Minor. He comes to Troas, the reason

around Troy. And then he has a vision. It's a dream of a man from Macedonia calling him to

come and evangelize there. And so following that prompt, Paul came across into Europe and he

comes this town of Philippi, which was a Roman colony. And there he preaches the gospel. How

important this is the beginning of European Christianity. And therefore it's the beginning

of a revolution in culture that would eventually change the whole world. And so this little town

of Philippi, this little tiny Christian community to which Paul writes is of enormous importance.

And the letter he writes contains this famous passage, which is central really in the New Testament

and central to the consciousness of Christianity. Here's the passage now I'm going to focus on

...