Year A: Second Sunday of Easter

First Reading: Acts 2: 42-47

Over the next few weeks, our First Readings are not taken from the Old Testament but from the book called the Acts of the Apostles. This is the second half of St Luke’s Gospel and was written to explain something of the history of this new group who were beginning to be known as Christians.

The picture offered in today’s Reading is idyllic - and perhaps is an image of the Christian community at its most basic and most faithful.

The earliest Christians did not reject their Jewish heritage - but saw Jesus as the fulfilment of all that the Jews had longed for for so long. They continued to worship in the Temple. The prayers and praise would have been taken from the Psalms - the Jewish prayer-book which still holds pride of place in Christian prayer today. The Scriptures would have been listened to with new ears as they saw more and more things which seemed to have been fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

The transformation of their lives was marked by a strong sense of the common good. All were brothers and sisters - none was to go hungry when another had more than enough. Their love for one another and their generosity made the world look up to them. As Jesus had promised - it will be by your love for one another that others will know you are My friends.

We have come a very long way from the form of Christianity depicted here. It may seem unworkable in the world in which we live - but it is worth reflecting on this ideal from time-to-time and use it to measure ourselves against...

What does it mean for me?

How might Luke describe our lives as Christians these days? If you had new Catholics received at Easter, what attracted them to the Church? What might attract others?

Text © 2007 Wellspring

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