Despite the difficulties that they had with the civil authorities and the citizens, a small Christian community had come to life in Philippi and a few years later Paul wrote a letter to urge these believers to remain loyal and steadfast in their duties as citizens.

A little further down, in the same letter, Paul reminded them that for Christians our citizenship is in heaven (Phil 3:20). This, however, does not exempt them from performing their social and political responsibilities. On the contrary, precisely because they are citizens of the Kingdom of Christ, Christians are strongly motivated to put themselves at the service of everyone and to build up the earthly city in justice and in love.

«Conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the Gospel of Christ»

Through these words, Paul was asking the Philippians to conduct themselves as true Christians. We sometimes think that the Gospel does not provide solutions to earthly problems and that it brings about the Kingdom of God only in a religious sense. But this is not the case. It is Jesus in that Christian, in that man or woman—when God’s grace dwells in that person—who builds a bridge, opens up a road, and so on. And, as another Christ, every man and woman can give his or her own specific contribution in any field of human activity: science, art, politics, and so on.

«Conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the Gospel of Christ»

But how can we be other Christs so that we can work in and make a real impact on society? We can do so by adopting his lifestyle as it is revealed in the words of the Gospel. If we welcome and live out his word, we will be increasingly in tune with his thoughts, his sentiments, and his teachings. His words enlighten everything we do; they realign and correct every aspect of our lives.

Yes, by living the Gospel we will become Christ like, and as he did we will devote our lives to others. Through loving we will contribute to building brotherhood. All the words of the Gospel can, in fact, be summed up in love of God and neighbor, and if lived out, they lead us to love.

We often speak about love and it may seem unnecessary to emphasize it again this time. But it is not so. Our “old self” (Rom 6:6) is always prone to withdraw into privacy, to cultivate our own little interests, to ignore the people who pass before us, to remain indifferent in the face of the common good and the needs of humanity around us.

We need to rekindle the flame of love in our hearts. And we need new eyes with which to look around us and realize what may be needed to improve our society. Love will give us the insight and creativity to see the right roads to take and give us the courage and strength to pursue them.

«Conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the Gospel of Christ»

This is what Ulysses Caglioni did; he was a good friend of ours who spent his life in Algeria together with Christians and Muslims, giving a witness of Gospel love to everyone with simplicity and concreteness.
He did not live for himself. He always put the needs of his brothers and sisters first. He had a special love for each one, and gave of himself unsparingly. He shared in their joys, their accomplishments, and their hopes, but also in the struggles, the uncertainties, and the sufferings they experienced in the first decade of their independence.

When, in fact, in the 1990s the nation went through a period of civil disorder and terror in which no Algerian citizen (almost all Muslim) was spared, the impact was also felt on the small Christian community made up of foreigners. Ulysses decided then, together with other Christians, not to leave and go back to his native Italy.

During an interview with one of the newspapers, he stated: I remained in Algeria for many years while everything was going smoothly. Now the situation has become precarious and dangerous, but I don’t think that I can leave; it would not be following the Gospel to flee.

When on September 1st, two years ago, following an illness he left for heaven, his Muslim friends offered this testimony: There was such love among us that everything that happened was lived together and shared. Ulysses was the bridge, the link between Christianity and Islam. In a country where intolerance is exalted, we have learned to listen, without prejudice, without passing judgment. Ulysses taught us to do everything out of love, to be love.

Chiara Lubich