Acts 4:32-37 One heart and soul, everything in common
2 Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph who was surnamed by the apostles Barnabas (which means, Son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field which belonged to him, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
This passage is so challenging that it’s difficult to truthfully comment. It reminds me that I haven’t yet begun to live as Christ’s teaching demands. How many of us, as individuals, as families, as parish communities, as Orthodox jurisdictions, can say that none of what we possess is our own, that we put all that we have at the disposal of others? St Luke in writing Acts underlines again here, and earlier in 2:43-47, just how united in heart and soul the Jerusalem community was at the beginning. In both passages he uses the phrase “all things in common” (apanta koina) to stress that there was a practical unity to their community life that manifested their spiritual bond around faith in Christ.
“Let us love one another that with one mind we may confess…. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Trinity, one in essence and undivided.” We hear this every time we celebrate the Divine Liturgy. Father Alexander Schmemann said that communion in the Liturgy is meant to be the crowning of a communion that already exists among us. But how many sacrifices of self are necessary for that to be genuine! This is what makes the first apostolic community so frightening. And yet, when they refuse to say “mine!” the grace of God rests upon them and their testimony to the resurrection is powerful and believable.
May God grant us the courage to take even a small step in the direction of self-sacrifice for our common Orthodox Christian witness to the Resurrection of Christ.
Pastoral Practice and Orthodox Unity
Speaking of common life, I’m still at Antiochian Village in Ligonier, PA working with the Pastoral Practice Committee of the Assembly of Bishops, chaired by Metropolitan Joseph. We finish this phase of our work early this afternoon and then head home with a list of tasks to continue the process of gathering clarifying and understanding how each jurisdiction carries out it’s pastoral-liturgical life in practice. As Professor Lewis Patsavos and Fr Alkiviadis Calivas said in their review of work thus far, “Before all else, we are obliged to know well the history of our pastoral, liturgical and canonical practices and comprehend their theological meaning.” This is the first time this has ever been done, so it will take time and patience.