Beyond materialism

There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need.

The last part of this description of the Church in its infancy in today’s first reading (Acts 4:32-37) sounds very much like a slogan associated with Karl Marx, the father of Communism:

From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Marx did not invent this slogan, but got it from someone else and it is very likely that this passage in the Book of Acts is its ultimate source.

This is ironic, of course, because Marx was an atheist, which is one of the many things wrong with how he and his followers would approach this concept.

These misunderstandings are not all unique to Marxists or Communists.

Marx’s philosophy has been called “dialectical materialism.” Many people today who embrace capitalism, even if they are not admitted atheists, are implicit materialists: focused only on material things and material advantage.

None of this was the case in the early Church. Their focus was on God, God’s will, and living in the Spirit rather than for material things.

That is why they shared.

May you and I not be trapped by any kind of materialism.

May you and I also keep our focus always on God, on God’s will, and on living in the Spirit rather than for material things.