Acts 4:32-37

Acts 4:32-37

The community of believers was of one heart and mind,

and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,

but they had everything in common.

With great power the Apostles bore witness

to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,

and great favor was accorded them all.

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.

Thus Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas

(which is translated “son of encouragement”),

a Levite, a Cypriot by birth,

sold a piece of property that he owned,

then brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, thank you for bringing me into the community of the Church. I am your child. I have so many brothers and sisters in the Church. I will do my best to support them and care for them.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Community and Solidarity, Not Communism and Socialism: The First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles gives us an example of the communal life of the early Church. What is presented is not the false ideology of communism or socialism, but the true spirit of community and solidarity. Communism forces everyone to contribute according to their ability and to receive according to their need. What the Acts of the Apostles teaches us, by contrast, is solidarity, subsidiarity, the universal destination of all goods, the preferential option for the poor, and the value of life in community. Communism sacrifices an individual’s good and overemphasizes the good of society to the detriment of the individual. As Pope Saint John Paul II taught: “The fundamental error of socialism is anthropological in nature. Socialism considers the individual person simply as an element, a molecule within the social organism, so that the good of the individual is completely subordinated to the functioning of the socio-economic mechanism” (Centesimus annus, 13). The Church, by contrast, sees no opposition between the individual’s good, the good of the family, and the common good of society. It is noteworthy that the Apostles do not force people to sell their property and houses. Each person and each family needed to act prudently and responsibly to determine what they could sell for the benefit of their brothers and sisters in need and what they needed to retain. “Luke describes the believers in Jerusalem as being ‘of one heart and soul’ in their devotion to God (Acts 4:32), echoing the Deuteronomic commandment to love and serve God with all one’s heart and soul” (Pimentel, Witnesses of the Messiah, 63).

2. Barnabas: Barnabas sold a piece of property and gave the money to the Church. His name means “son of encouragement,” and he will accompany us throughout our reading of the Acts of the Apostles this Easter. He was from the tribe of Levi. He vouched for Saul before the community of Jerusalem (Acts 9:27) and spent a year with Paul in Tarsus, where he was known as a prophet and a teacher (Acts 13:1). He accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey to Cyprus (his native land) and parts of modern-day Turkey. He participated in the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), which decided that the Gentiles who became Christians did not need to observe many temporary elements of the burdensome Old Law. Salvation comes from faith in Jesus and living according to the New Law of Christ. Barnabas, who was not one of the original twelve apostles, joined the Apostles in their mission of bearing witness to the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Today’s reading shows us that Barnabas followed the counsel of Jesus to the young man: “Go, sell what you own and give the money to the poor; then, come, follow me” (Mark 10:21). Because of the generosity of the members of the early Church, there was no needy person among them.

3. Life in the Spirit as the Blessing of the New Covenant: The blessing of the Old Covenant was tied especially to the flourishing of life in the land promised to Abraham. By contrast, the blessing of the New Covenant lies in the heart and soul, and not in the land. “Whereas life in the land was the supreme blessing of the Deuteronomic covenant, that of the New Covenant is life in the Holy Spirit, a life that is geographically universal. The land and the city of Jerusalem stood under an impending judgment and could no longer serve as a source of covenantal blessing. Far from clinging to these ancient symbols of national identity, the disciples in Jerusalem watched and prayed, knowing that the day would soon come when they would have to flee (cf. Luke 21:20-22)” (Pimentel, Witnesses of the Messiah, 64).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I truly desire to live according to your Spirit and the New Law of Charity. Help me to discern how I can better care for those in my community. I want to follow your example of spiritual poverty, humility, detachment from material things, and solidarity with the poor.

Living the Word of God: How can I become more familiar with the social teaching of the Church? Can I articulate what the Church teaches about the principles of solidarity, subsidiarity, private property, and the universal destination of all goods?