In our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles, we are given a glimpse of what the Christian culture of the early followers of Christ looked like. They were of one heart and soul, they held everything in common, they testified to the resurrection of Jesus, grace was upon them, there was no needy person among them, etc. This culture of the early Christians is what inspired the religious communities in the Church, where all is held in common, people live in communities, and life revolves around common prayer, and a common table.
The ideals of sharing and a community spirit are ideals that are not simply meant for religious communities, but are ideals meant to be lived by society in some form. We have a Christian responsibility to one another. We have a Christian responsibility to take care of our weak members of society or those who have less or have nothing.
God has given our world enough wealth, enough gifts, and enough talents that if, at our core, we were configured with a community spirit, and a spirit of sharing, few people would sleep with empty stomachs, few people would go without clothes, few people would go without access to medical care, and few people would be homeless.
Next door to us here at the Peyton Center we have a ministry known as My Brother’s Keeper. The mission of My Brother’s Keeper it to remind us all that we have a Christian responsibility to care about the needs of others, and we have a responsibility to do something about such needs.
Mahatma Gandhi reminded us that the world has enough resources to take care of all people’s needs but not enough to take care of all people’s greed. It is sad that in some parts of the world people have so much to eat and throw away so much food, yet in other parts of the world, people are starving and dying of hunger. It is unfortunate that in some parts of the world people throw away so many clothes, yet in other parts of the world, kids do not have much to wear. It is unfortunate that in some parts of the world governments invest billions of dollars in space exploration programs to find out whether life exists in outer space, yet they cannot take care of homeless people who live under highway bridges and tented homeless camps. This is the paradox of life.
A couple of years back, Pope Francis warned the world that we cannot live in a world where there is enough food and water for all to consume, but only a few people with money can access it. He warned us that structuring the world in such a form is self-destructive and will compromise global peace. We need to find balanced ways that honor private ownership while attending to the needs of those who do not have anything or have extraordinarily little.
In this Mass, may we ask the Lord to renew our spirit of sharing, our spirit of solidarity. In a special way we are offering this Mass for the needs of our donors who share their gifts of time, talent, and treasure to advance this global ministry. May we all be reminded again and again that we are “our brother’s keepers.”
Father Fred Jenga, C.S.C. is the President of Holy Cross Family Ministries. Father Fred, a native of Uganda, has multiple degrees including theology, philosophy, and communications. His native language is Lusoga and he speaks English, Luganda, Kiswahili, and Rutooro. He has been a teacher, researcher, author and family minister. Father Fred is committed to helping build God’s masterpiece one family at a time.
