New Testament
The Letter to the Philippians
The Letter to the Philippians is the eleventh of the 27 books of the New Testament: 4 chapters and 104 verses.
About Philippians
About Philippians · Letter of friendship
Philippians is Paul writing from prison to his first European church and his most beloved: a thank-you note for their aid that grows into the most joyful letter he ever wrote. He urges them toward unity and humility by quoting an early hymn of Christ, who emptied himself and was exalted, and he takes stock of his own life — everything counted loss compared with knowing Christ. It was written to teach a church he loved that joy is not circumstantial: rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice, from a man in chains.
| Testament | New Testament — book 11 of 27, 57 of 73 in the Bible |
|---|---|
| Canon | Protocanonical (in every Christian canon) |
| Chapters | 4 |
| Verses | 104, as Bless numbers them |
| Latin | Clementine Vulgate, every chapter |
| Bp. Challoner | Summaries of all 4 chapters · 7 notes |
| Catechism | 49 paragraphs cite it |
Chapter by chapter
All 4 chapters, in brief.
Bishop Richard Challoner’s summary of each chapter, from his revision of the Douay-Rheims (1749–52). Open a chapter for the full text.
Philippians 1
30 versesThe apostle's affection for the Philippians.
Philippians 2
30 versesHe recommends them to unity and humility, and to work out their salvation with fear and trembling.
Philippians 3
21 versesHe warneth them against false teachers. He counts all other things loss, that he may gain Christ.
Philippians 4
23 versesHe exhorts them to perseverance in all good and acknowledges their charitable contributions to him.
Bp. Richard Challoner · chapter summaries
In the comments
What the saints said.
19 quotations from 16 saints linked to passages of Philippians in Bless. Each names the work it comes from.
St. Ignatius of Antioch · on Philippians 1:21
On this theme
I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ.
Letter to the Romans, 4, c. 107
St. Gemma Galgani · on Philippians 1:21
On this theme
O Jesus, I love You so much. Your love is my life.
Diary, 1900
St. Thomas More · on Philippians 1:23
On this theme
Give me, good Lord, a longing to be with Thee, not for the avoiding of the calamities of this wretched world, nor so much for the attaining of the joys of heaven, as even for a very love of Thee.
Prayer written in the Tower, 1534
St. Martin of Tours · on Philippians 1:23
On this theme
Lord, if I am still necessary to thy people, I do not refuse the toil: thy will be done.
Sulpicius Severus, Epistle 3, 397
St. Teresa of Ávila · on Philippians 2:3
On this theme
Humility is truth.
The Interior Castle, I.2, 1577
St. Athanasius · on Philippians 2:7
On this theme
He took what is ours to give us what is His.
On the Incarnation, 8, c. 318
13 more, on the chapter pages
- Philippians 2:8St. Francis of Assisi
- Philippians 2:12St. Augustine of Hippo
- Philippians 2:12St. Ignatius of Loyola · attributed
- Philippians 2:13St. Augustine of Hippo
- Philippians 3:8St. John of the Cross
- Philippians 3:8St. Benedict of Nursia
- Philippians 3:14St. Teresa of Ávila
- Philippians 4:4St. Philip Neri
- Philippians 4:4St. Philip Neri
- Philippians 4:4St. John Bosco
- Philippians 4:6St. John Chrysostom
- Philippians 4:8St. Justin Martyr
- Philippians 4:13St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
Coming up
Read at Mass.
From October 29, 2026 to October 28, 2027, Philippians is read at the principal Mass on 12 days in the US calendar. The next 8 readings:
| Date | Celebration | Reading | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time | First Reading | Philippians 1:1-11 | |
| Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time | First Reading | Philippians 1:18b-26 | |
| Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time | First Reading | Philippians 2:5-11 | |
| St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop | First Reading | Philippians 2:12-18 | |
| Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time | First Reading | Philippians 3:3-8a | |
| Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time | First Reading | Philippians 3:17—4:1 | |
| Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time | First Reading | Philippians 4:10-19 | |
| Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion | Second Reading | Philippians 2:6-11 | |
| Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion | Verse before the Gospel | Philippians 2:8-9 | |
| Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion | Verse before the Gospel | Philippians 2:8-9 | |
| computed | St. Barnabas, Apostle | Alleluia | Philippians 2:15d, 16a |
| computed | Exaltation of the Holy Cross | Second Reading | Philippians 2:6-11 |
| computed | Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time | Alleluia | Philippians 3:8-9 |
| computed | Monday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time | Alleluia | Philippians 2:15d, 16a |
| computed | Second Sunday of Advent | Second Reading | Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11 |
| computed | Third Sunday of Advent | Second Reading | Philippians 4:4-7 |
| computed | Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time | Alleluia | Philippians 2:15d, 16a |
| computed | Second Sunday of Lent | Second Reading | Philippians 3:17—4:1 |
| computed | Fifth Sunday of Lent | Second Reading | Philippians 3:8-14 |
| computed | Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion | Second Reading | Philippians 2:6-11 |
| computed | Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion | Verse before the Gospel | Philippians 2:8-9 |
| computed | Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion | Verse before the Gospel | Philippians 2:8-9 |
| computed | Friday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time | Alleluia | Philippians 2:15d, 16a |
| computed | Exaltation of the Holy Cross | Second Reading | Philippians 2:6-11 |
No more readings are listed here; the liturgical calendar has every date through December 31, 2028.
Citations as published in the USCCB liturgical calendar (principal Mass, first option). Dates after May 31, 2027 are computed by Bless from the US Lectionary cycle — confirm with your parish.