Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter
(Acts 4:32-37; John 3:7a-15)
Testy preachers sometimes refer to
the first reading today as Communism in the early Church. Of course, the practice of the Jerusalem
Christian community has no resemblance to Marxist socialism. It is more like the ideal of Catholic
religious congregations. Religious are
supposed to submit all their possessions to the community. The superior then sees that the goods are
redistributed so that everyone’s needs are met.
These rules, however, are often
breached. Many religious today have
difficulty turning in everything they receive.
They are also reluctant to trust their fate completely to the discretion
of a superior. Interestingly, aberrations
also creep into the Jerusalem community.
The very next passage in Acts tells of a couple who keep some of the
receipts from the sale of its property.
Rather than giving all to the apostles, they evidently save some “just
in case.”
Like the members of the early
Church, we too have been called to a radical change of life. We see our future secure not by our efforts
but by the grace of Christ’s resurrection.
Once we make this realization, we become free women and men. We can share our resources with others
knowing that our generosity gives glory to God who loves us.
