|
44 All who believed were together
and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their
possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any
had need.
Today we live in a
world in which nations and communities are closer than ever.
Thanks to the explosion of electronic media, events that
happen in any part of the globe become fully visual to us in
real time. Ironically, in our daily lives, we are still isolating
ourselves from other communities, based on religion, language,
skin color and so on. In the book of Acts, the members of the
original church cared for each other in a way that every resource
was freely accessible to the members, regardless of ownership.
All properties were considered common, shared by church members,
and individual wellbeing was a concern for all church attendees.
Members derived much happiness and spiritual and emotional
enrichment by doing so. The so called ‘first love’ of the people
of the original church were later lost as faith faded away
within.
As humans living in
various communities, we are free and are able to know and love
others, but it also means that our belonging to the society of
humankind, our fellowship with other people, and our social
behaviors define who and what we are. As Christians, we believe
in Trinity – God in 3 persons. According to Sr. Nonna Harrison,
the three divine persons are forever united with each other in
mutual love, they dwell in each other. They collaborate
continually, sharing as one, in all their activities. They are
related to each other in a specific order, a taxis, since the
Father is the source of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Yet they are
completely equal to each other, and each is completely free and
possesses royal dignity. Though they are three persons, they are
one God, and they always act in unanimity.
We cannot live a
blessed and productive Christian life, a life that adds meaning
and spiritual vitality, without love and concern for others who
are within and outside the community. Our faith and trust in the
Trinity extends our inner love far and wide that it
creates vibrations that could touch many.
|
