"There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need."
Some people think this reading points to the early christian's working towards communism. On the surface they may have an argument. But lets go deeper......
When the early christians first gathered and created their communities and organized the christian church, they considered Jesus' return to be imminent and quite possibly to be within their own lifetime. There was a sense of urgency in their writings and in the writings of the early church fathers. The concept that Jesus may take over 2000 years to return did not seem to exist in their mindset so they gathered together and formed a community. Because of their desire to do God's will, they helped each other. It was common for those who participated or followed Jesus to share in this way of life. As his ministry progressed he and his followers relied on others for their needs. They simply continued Jesus' ministry as he asked them to. We see it today in our cloistered communities and in our religious orders. Members commit to a life of poverty and community. In a community such as this, it is the Love of God that holds people together and holds them to their commitment to each other. To my knowledge, none of the Franciscans or Jesuits I've known were forced to live in poverty by the government. They also have a deep love of Christ. Communism is the opposite. The will of the government is above God or personal choice. Even being in the group (IE... communist state) or being subject to it's rule is not a choice. For the communist state, God does not exist. That's the main problem with communism. Communism makes every effort to extinguish belief in god. Then the state can be the arbiter of good and evil. Without God, there is nothing to challenge the morals of the state. The early christians had no such thing in mind. They were totally committed to God and as a result lived in community with each other to await the return of Christ and to live in a Christ like fashion. They did not expect or even try to impose this lifestyle on the rest of the world. When I think about the early believers waiting for Christ's return, I realize that when things didn't pan out the way they'd expected, they didn't walk away and go find another thing to believe in. They realized that God's love is everlasting and that it's his time and not ours that matters. Everlasting is everlasting........... forever.....wow...... that's a really long time.......
Willie Wonka should have the candy contract for Heaven? I can see it on the wrapper now, "Everlasting Gobstoppers "..... God's Candy!
Here is an additional song for this week. When I was preparing music for this Sunday's mass I couldn't find a song about St. Thomas that would work with my group. Hopefully this will do the trick. Ever since I was in high school I felt some kinship to St. Thomas. My mom was always calling me a "Doubting Thomas" so I relate to him. This song is about his experience. I'm guessing he felt like a clod when he realized who Jesus was.... How many times do we question Jesus only to be taught a lesson... sometimes in a rather embarrassing way. I hope the song helps your worship as I feel it's helped mine.
God Bless.