Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter
(Acts 4:32-37; John 3:7b-15)
“’How can this happen?’” Nicodemus asks Jesus in the
gospel. It’s the same question many
would ask of the first reading. How can
people sell their houses and property and donate all the proceeds to the
community?
The Acts of the Apostles tells of Joseph’s generosity to
illustrate the power of the Holy Spirit. Under the Spirit’s guidance people put aside
self-interest for the good of all. It
must be noted that the wholesale mutuality of the primitive Christian community
is not perfect and does not prevail for long.
The story of Joseph’s selflessness is followed by the sober tale of a
believer’s deception out of self-concern.
In the next chapter of Acts, the altercation between Greek-speaking and
Hebrew-speaking disciples is related. It
may be concluded that the innocence of human nature is not restored by the Holy
Spirit without an inclination to sin.
Christian shortcomings cause scandal both in the world and
within the community. At the end of the
Middle Ages the selling of indulgences by clerics gave rise to the Protestant
Reformation. Today many are reserved
about receiving the sacraments because of the revelations of child abuse by clergy. And certainly Christians have been guilty of
racial and religious bigotry over the centuries. There is need for investigating these matters
lest too severe judgments are made. Yet
repentance and penance are also in order.
It is not that the Spirit has abandoned the Church but that Church
members have failed to follow its lead.
We must regularly turn back to the Spirit with sincere hearts.
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