The Spirit of the Resurrection
Acts of the Apostles 4, 32-35: The Believers Share Their Possessions
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone according as he had need.”
Reflection:
Jesus, with His resurrection, opens the door to the future for those “living in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Luke 1,79): the weak, the humble, the marginalized, the excluded. The energy of the resurrection opens a new path of hope for the crucified of our time. The Spirit of Jesus leads the community of His disciples to support a new economic and social practice, so that anyone has according his needs (Ac 4,35), need for affection, for care, for resources, for dignity. What is important is not to impoverish yourself in the name of an ideal, but rather to make sure “that there were no needy persons among them “(Acts 4,34) and that the sharing be efficient. The Spirit of Jesus is where the humiliated still set out ahead, where the disciples risk their lives so that the vision of the world, such as Our God Father wishes, already happens, occurs in reality. The Holy Spirit is present in the resistance of the weak who dream of a better future, and rise with dignity, convinced that God always walks with them. (Matthew 28, 20: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”)
The Spirit of the Pentecost is there, as a burning presence to be revealed, wherever there are men, women and children who decide to love, to be free in the face of life’s hardships. The Spirit of the Resuscitated is the breath of life and vitality that overcomes the spirit of resignation and keeps faith in the capacity of the earth to be renewed for the best.
Joyful hope in the spring of Life,
Alain Besner, National Spirituality Committee
Quebec Regional Council