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 should
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 have caused 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.
