Readings:
Acts 4:32-37
John 3:7b-15
Reflection:
Today’s first reading reminds us that one of the hallmarks of an authentic Christian community is that there are no needy people. In the early Church, this led some people to sell their homes!
“The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they had everything in common … There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them … [and] the proceeds … were distributed to each according to need.”
WOW. It’s a radical message that, taken seriously, makes for seriously uncomfortable reading.
It’s easy to gloss over these verses, whether seeing them as some sort of historical curiosity or regarding them as idealistic but, ultimately, unrealistic. Alternatively, we can allow them to genuinely unsettle us while reflecting on how we can better embrace their core moral message in the way we live out our (faith) life going forward.
I’m reminded of the saying that Christianity’s purpose is to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” Speaking personally, I am emotionally more attracted towards the idea that my faith is there to make me feel more comfortable.
Am I seriously considering selling my house and giving away the proceeds? No. The key thing, I think, is to sit with this text and hold the disconcerting feelings it raises while contemplating how, in my life, I can further expand my horizons of concern – i.e., become more aware of, and better responsive to, the needs of others than I currently am.
In which case, rather than dismissing the account as a (ridiculous) prescriptive command, the question it poses is how we will, each of us, ‘move the dial’ so as to better emulate the vision of the first Christians.
John Kleinsman lives in Wellington. He is married to Kerry and works in the field of bioethics. His involvement with the Passionists goes back to 1992, nurtured through an ongoing involvement with Passionist Family Groups in New Zealand. He is a lay member of the Passionist Formation Commission.