NOTES for Php 1:21

In these words of the apostle Paul is expressed all the newness, all the specificity of the Christian attitude toward life and death. Indeed, how we relate to death is completely determined by our relation to life. If life for us is first of all our biological existence, then we cling to it with all our might, health becomes our god, and we fear nothing as much as death; this fear of death poisons every second of our existence. If life for us is first of all spiritual being, then the body becomes for us a constant brake on the path, a "prison of the spirit," and disembodiment, physical death, is perceived as the ultimate good, while this bodily life here is an annoying and meaningless delay.

For Christians the essence of life lies in union with Christ, which is carried out already here and now but continues no less after physical death. Therefore, on the one hand, life in this world is not meaningless and there is no desire to part with it as quickly as possible; on the other hand, there is no fear of death. Moreover, as Paul writes elsewhere, here it is "as through a dim glass," and then "face to face" (see 1 Cor. 13:12), and therefore death is gain, but not a gain of such a level that one should break all the bonds, relationships, and ministries that make up Christ's life in our present life. Then it is understandable that when we are sick, we pray for healing and seek treatment, but if death comes, we can receive it as "sister," according to the word of Francis of Assisi.