Photo by Jonathan Billinger
Last night I listened to an interview of a religious sister, Sister Olga, who has founded a new religious order for women. The order is strikingly similar to Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. This interviewed was broadcast on Shalom World website—a wonderful resource for Catholics.
Sister Olga talked of her growing up as a Catholic in Iraq and spoke of the great sufferings of her people there. Early in life she realized that she has a responsibility toward her Iraqi sisters and brothers, and took the steps to donate her life to helping them and others like them. I was struck by the fact that she sees her talents and leadership skills, not as her own, but belonging to the Church and those members of society who need her help.
Today we read about the culture of the early Church and how community-driven it was (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…There was no needy person among them…”
Imagine the power of the Holy Spirit! It freed people from clinging fiercely to their own possessions, and let them flow freely to other members of the community that needed them. We of the Western world who are so “me-centered” and who keep such tight control of our money and possessions are shocked that a group of people could do this. “Everything in common” just doesn’t seem a possibility to us who are so “Mine-conscious.” Only the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit released in the hearts of believers could make this happen.
Not only did they share their possessions with one another to the extent that there was “no needy person among them,” they also shared generously the gifts of the Holy Spirit that had been released within each of them. Not only were their material needs taken care up but their emotional and spiritual ones as well. Imagine the happiness these Christians felt in such a worry-free environment.
We go on to read that,
“…those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds from the sale, and put them at the feet of the Apostles, and they were distributed to each according to their need.”
Imagine that! They cut ties with ownership of even their most valuable possessions! What this looked like I do not know. We remember that the early believers met each evening in their homes for the breaking of the bread. They couldn’t have surrendered all of their homes. We are careful about reading too much into this line of Scripture.
Does this style still exist within the Church today? Of course it does. Religious communities and some lay communities share everything in common. When a member takes the vow of poverty, that person surrenders all personal poverty and ownership to the community.
Most of us, of course, are not called to take a vow of poverty. We, however, have the same power of the Holy Spirit that generated the culture of the early Church. And when we are baptized we become such a part of the Body of Christ that all we have belongs to all other members—including our persecuted sisters and brothers in Iraq and similar countries. Each of us have charisms that are given for the “common good.” When we acknowledge and release these charisms we begin to find that there is “no needy person among us.”
As much as we want to “fit in” to our society, we accept the fact that to be a committed Christian means to be counter-cultural. What we have is not our own. God did not give us charisms to make us feel good, but to serve the needs of the Body of his Son and the needy of the world.
Do I need to ask the Holy Spirit to help me let go of my “me-centeredness?” Do I need the grace to recognize my unique charisms, and to seek eagerly where and to whom I am called to give them away? All of my gifts belong to the Church and were given me to help bring to fullness the Kingdom of God on earth.
“…great favor was accorded to them all” (from the Acts reading).
