October 8, Ordinary 27A (Philippians 3:4b-14; Matthew 21:33-46)
The Apostle Paul shows the struggle to transcend the architecture of ego.
Many people know modern architecture’s axiom “form follows function.” Coined by Chicago architect Louis Sullivan around the turn of the last century, the phrase captures the idea that the purpose of a building should shape its design. Buildings are not to be monuments or things of beauty alone; the aesthetic experience of the structure is not of primary importance. Function is primary.
The apostle Paul was no architect. Yet this axiom could well have been his own. In the passage from Philippians for this week, Paul is clear that all that has built him up—his education, training, and status—are of little importance unless they are in service of his life in Christ.
It is not that Paul thinks his background is bad. There is nothing inherently wrong with worldly accomplishments, and Paul actually seems quite proud of all that he has become. We do need our architecture of ego, containers of our identity. We need to have a sense of who we are before we can become who we were meant to be.
