The Communal Life
BY MIKE VAN VRANKEN
“They devoted themselves to the communal life. All who believed had all things in common, they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need” Acts 2:42, 45. This is what the bible says the early church looked like. This is how they lived shortly after Pentecost.
They were devoted, faithful, dedicated, dutiful, and even zealous to this communal way of living. We could say they lived in common, or in community. We read the explanation of what that meant. They sold all they had. They owned no property. How does this settle with you? Or does it settle at all? They owned no possessions. Again, are we ready to own nothing and be devoted and faithful to sharing everything?
Jesus taught one to go and sell their possessions, give to the poor and then come follow him (Mt 19:21 and Luke 18:22). Did Jesus mean we could not follow him without selling our possessions? Maybe being a Christian is much harder than we thought. Or maybe, somewhere over the years, we lost the “way.”
I’m guessing if I ask you to take these scriptures literally, you are already describing to me how that was a different time, and how this communal life obviously didn’t last long, and we could not do this today. I normally would suggest you take it to God and get his opinion. But, just for fun, let’s squeeze out the truth of these passages metaphorically and see if we feel any better.
Many Catholics remember Pope St. John Paul II with much love and affection. While he fought the dictator-run experiences of Communism and Marxism, he still seemed to understand biblical communal life. In his encyclical Centesimos Annus, he teaches:
“. . . there are many human needs which find no place on the market. It is a strict duty of justice and truth not to allow fundamental human needs to remain unsatisfied, and not to allow those burdened by such needs to perish. It is also necessary to help these needy people to acquire expertise, to enter the circle of exchange, and to develop their skills to make the best use of their capacities and resources (34).
Now, relax, settle into your chair, and read that again. The heart of Pope St. John Paul II is exactly in the same place as the hearts of those in the early church, and the heart of Jesus himself. My Catholic Study Bible says, “this sharing of goods exemplifies the differing and various contributions of each person to the whole.”
If we want to follow Jesus, Saint JP II insists “it is a strict duty of justice and truth” to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves. This would include economically, spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. He says we do this because of the “lofty dignity” of all human beings. In other words, sharing what we have with others is not optional. And seemingly, Jesus is saying it is a prerequisite to following him. This is Catholic teaching. And this is also the true definition of the Christian practice of stewardship. We are mandated to share our gifts with others.
I invite you to sit with God and pray for the insight to name all of the instances in your life today where you find yourself in community. Be assured the risen Christ is there, too. Use your imagination. Your neighborhood, your guild, or circle of friends, bible study group, exercise classes, your church parish, your diocese, your city, town, state, country, planet, etc. Take it slowly and write them all down. Ask God to reveal to you the gifts he wants you to share in each one of these communities. These may include financial gifts, wisdom, ideas, skills, talents, companionship, and many more. Again, allow the Holy Spirit to carry your imagination wherever he wishes. Remind yourself it is our strict duty of justice and truth to share with and help others. As you have this intimate conversation with God, pay attention to any movements or feelings in your heart. Talk to God about them and promise to come back each day and continue the dialogue – these listening sessions with God.
In having these particular conversations with God each day, we eventually realize our number one community is with the Father, Son, and Spirit. Over time, we also conclude if we are one with the Holy Trinity, we are one with all creation. The earliest times of the church found its members following Christ by devoting “themselves to the communal life.” Do we dare do the same?
