LIVING IN A FRATERNAL COMMUNITY

II EASTER SUNDAY - Acts 2:42-47

In the Acts of the Apostles, at the end of chapter two, Luke presents, in a summary, the idealised traits of the Christian Community, which must serve as a model to our communities. The ideal may seem too high but we should strive to live according to that ideal. On our own, we will never achieve that which is proposed to us. That’s why Jesus bestowed the Holy Spirit on his disciples, as he entrusted them with the ministry of reconciliation (Jn 20:22-23).

According to Luke, the life of the Christian Community moved around four main axes:

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Act 2:42)

Some exegetes interpret these four axes as the basic structure of the Eucharistic celebration as it was done in the first Christian generation:

1. the teaching of the Apostles represents the liturgy of the word, which is essential for a valid Eucharistic celebration.
2. the fellowship represents the meal taken together - that is the table fellowship which went with the Eucharist. From Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we know that this table fellowship caused problems (1 Co 11:33) and, due to those problems, ended up disappearing.
3. then, it followed the breaking of the bread, in which they repeated Jesus’ gestures and words in the Last Supper.
4. finally, there were prayers, which have always constituted an important aspect of the Eucharist.

However, most of the experts understand this passage as referring to the community life of the first Christians, presenting us with the essential aspects that must be present in any community that calls itself Christian.

The teaching of the Apostles is paradigmatic, setting up the norm of what we believe. Throughout the history of the Church, There have been always people who make their doctrine and establish their own rules and teaching. The Church is called apostolic because it stands rooted in the teaching of the Apostles. More than in the past, nowadays we find people who pretend to have their church in accordance with the prevalent ideologies of the moment. However, to remain in the Church of Christ, we must be faithful to the teaching of the Apostles.

Even though, the table fellowship is no anymore connected with the Eucharist, fellowship is essential for a Christian community. There must be coming together and sharing. We must live and behave like the family of God.

In the breaking of bread, Jesus invites us to his table and gives us the bread of life. for us to be partakers of his body and blood. The Church has never stopped celebrating the Eucharist, obeying Jesus’ command: Do this in remembrance of me. In the Eucharist - which includes the Word of God and the breaking of bread - we have a foretaste of the heavenly liturgy in which God’s love is celebrated by singing together God’s praises.

The prayer life is another indispensable element of community life: “They went as a body to the Temple every day”.

Let us pray to the Lord that he may fill us with his Spirit who makes possible reconciliation and guides us towards the family of the children of God.