First Reading (Acts 4,32-37)
Reading of the Acts of the Apostles.
The multitude of believers were of one heart and one soul. No one considered the things they owned as their own, but everything between them was held in common. With great signs of power, the apostles gave testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And the faithful were esteemed by all. Among them, no one was in need, because those who owned land or houses sold them, took the money, and placed it at the feet of the apostles. Then, it was distributed according to each person’s needs. Joseph, called Barnabas by the apostles, which means son of consolation, Levite and native of Cyprus, owned a field. He sold it and went to deposit the money at the feet of the apostles.
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Announcement of the Gospel (John 3,7b-15)
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John.
— Glory to you, Lord.
At that time, Jesus said to Nicodemus: “You must be born from above. The wind blows where it wants and you can hear its noise, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. This is what happens to everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus asked, “How can this happen?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher in Israel, but do you not know these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony. If you do not believe when I tell you about the things on earth, how will you believe if I tell you about the things in heaven? And no one has ascended to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so it is The Son of Man must be lifted up, so that all who believe in him may have eternal life.”
— Word of Salvation.
— Glory to you, Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Imagine waking up in a world where no one says “this is mine” or “that’s yours.” A world where each person’s needs are met not out of obligation, but out of love. A world where generosity flows as naturally as breathing. It seems utopian, doesn’t it? However, it is exactly this world that Luke describes to us in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
“The multitude of the faithful were of one heart and one soul. No one considered what he possessed as his own, but everything among them was held in common.” What an extraordinary testimony! We are not talking about a small, isolated community, but about thousands of people united by a faith so transformative that it completely redefined their relationship with material goods and with each other.
This profound unity – “one heart and one soul” – was not just a warm feeling or a vague sense of belonging. It was a tangible reality that manifested itself in concrete actions. The early Christians shared their possessions, sold property, and gave the money to the apostles to be distributed “to each according to his need.”
And the result of this radical lifestyle? “Among them there were no needy ones.” Imagine that! A community where poverty has been effectively eliminated, not through government programs or political solutions, but through love in action, the spontaneous generosity of hearts transformed by God’s grace.
Luke especially mentions Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus, who sold a field and brought the money to the feet of the apostles. Why single out Barnabas among so many who did the same? Perhaps because his name means “son of consolation” or “son of encouragement” – a man whose entire life, not just this specific gesture, was characterized by generosity and care for others.
This community of early Christians confronts us with a challenging question: what happened? How do we move from this early Christian ideal to our current communities, which are often marked by individualism and materialism? Has the message been diluted? Did the ideal prove impractical? Or have we simply settled into a domesticated Christianity that demands little real sacrifice?
And here, the Gospel of John offers us a clue. Jesus says to Nicodemus: “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its noise, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”
This is the secret of the early community – they were people “born of the Spirit.” Their radical generosity, their profound unity, came not from human effort or political ideology, but from a profound spiritual transformation. They had experienced a new birth, a rebirth that freed them from attachment to the things of this world and opened them to a new reality – the reality of the Kingdom of God.
Jesus goes on to explain to Nicodemus that this spiritual rebirth is not something we can generate on our own. It is a divine work, an initiative of God. “If you do not believe when I tell you about the things on earth, how will you believe if I tell you about the things in heaven?”
Here is the crux of the matter: our ability to live like the primitive community – in unity, generosity and love – depends on our ability to believe in the “things of heaven”, to see beyond the visible, to trust in spiritual realities that transcend our everyday experience.
This is why Jesus makes reference to the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the desert. When the Israelites were attacked by poisonous serpents, God ordered Moses to make a bronze serpent and place it on a pole. Whoever looked at her would be healed. This Old Testament story prefigures Christ Himself, as He explains: “In the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”
Looking at the bronze serpent required an act of faith. The Israelites had to lift their eyes away from their wounds, their pain, their immediate fear, and trust that this seemingly simple symbol held the power to heal. In the same way, looking at Christ crucified requires us to lift our gaze above material concerns, worldly fears, earthly ambitions.
And when we do this – when we truly focus on the risen Christ – we are transformed. We begin to see the world with new eyes. Our priorities change. Our definitions of success and security are redefined. We begin to realize, like the early Christians, that our material possessions are just tools for expressing and extending God’s love.
My brothers and sisters, the community life described in Acts is not an unattainable utopia or a failed social experiment. It is the natural fruit, the inevitable result, of a community “born of the Spirit” whose eyes are fixed on the crucified and risen Christ.
Think about your own life for a moment. Where is your gaze fixed? In the worries of this world – bills to pay, health problems, relational conflicts? Or in the risen Christ, who offers us eternal life and a completely new perspective on reality?
And how does this manifest itself in your relationship with material goods? Do you hold tight to what you have, fearing scarcity? Or do you keep your hands open, recognizing that everything you have is a gift from God, entrusted to you for the common good?
It is not a question of adopting a specific scheme for sharing goods or creating a utopian community artificially. It is about allowing the Spirit of God to transform your heart in such a way that generosity flows naturally, that caring for others becomes a spontaneous reflex, that unity with your brothers and sisters in Christ is as natural as breathing.
Imagine what our parish would be like if each of us were “born of the Spirit” in this way. If only our decisions about time, money, and resources were guided not by fear of scarcity, but by trust in God’s abundance. If only our concern for each other’s needs were so deep that no one among us suffered need.
This is not an impractical vision. It is the vision that Jesus gave us. It is the reality that the first Christians lived. And it is the call that the Holy Spirit continues to whisper in our hearts today.
People looked at the primitive community and said, “See how they love each other!” The same should be said of us. Not because we are exceptionally kind people by nature, but because we have been touched by God’s exceptional love.
Like Barnabas, we are called to be “sons and daughters of consolation” – people whose entire lives, not just isolated gestures, are characterized by generosity and caring. People who bring comfort and encouragement to those who suffer. People who, because they were born of the Spirit, live with a freedom and audacity that the world cannot understand.
The wind of the Holy Spirit continues to blow today, my brothers and sisters. We may not see where it comes from or where it is going, but we can feel its effects. We can allow it to lift us above earthly concerns. We can allow it to carry us into a life of deeper communion, of more radical generosity, of more transformative love.
Like the serpent in the wilderness, Christ was lifted up so that we could look to Him and live. Not just survive, but live abundantly. Live eternally. To live as people whose hearts and souls are so united in Christ that our lives become a living testimony to the transforming power of the Gospel.
May we, as individuals and as a community, fix our eyes on the lifted up Christ. May we open ourselves completely to the breath of the Holy Spirit. And may we rediscover the beauty and power of being “one heart and one soul” in Christ.
May it be so, for the glory of God and for the renewal of His Church in this time and place. Amen.
