The Christian Spirit
In the Acts of the Apostles today in the First Reading, we have a description of the lives of the very first Christians. “They remained faithful to the teaching of the Apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.” They lived communally and owned everything in common and shared according to what each needed. They went together to the temple but met in their houses for the breaking of bread. Their togetherness and their shared prayer life and generosity with each other was attractive to many and their numbers increased.
A very beautiful picture, they were still Jews who went to the temple each day but also had added the breaking of bread, their prayers and full sharing with all the community. Sadly this upset many of the leaders of the Jewish community and the Roman authorities. Soon, they were subject to persecution and were scattered to the four corners of the world where they kept the faith and shared it with all who would listen.
We as a world are facing a form of persecution, the unknown murderer stalking us and wiping out millions of people. We don’t really know how to defeat it but we have some very basic ideas of how it is spread and the message of ‘Stay at Home’ and practise ‘Social Distancing’ are saving lives. This responsibility for each other must be taken seriously.
The sharing of our resources with each other is also vital if we are to save lives. The appreciation of those key workers who put themselves in danger is a sign of our love and appreciation of their sacrifice. This week alone our Foodbank has distributed over a ton of food. Thankfully we also received a huge amount of food and can continue to help those most in need. It is very beautiful to see so many reaching out to neighbours and others in need. The early Christian spirit.