Reflection: ​Sharing Resources

With each of the Holy Habits, I have found myself wanting to emphasise that the early Christians acted as they did as a natural response to the astonishing actions of Jesus, His teaching, His life, death and resurrection. Any attempt on our part to reproduce their behaviour must also derive its strength from the same source; otherwise it will be a mere parody.

I believe that the early Christians shared resources because they felt “they were all in the same boat”, set apart from the world by the extraordinarily privileges they had suddenly been granted; forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, a promise of eternal life, the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, and the chance to pass on the exciting news to others.

As the apostle Paul later pointed out, they (and we, if we are Christians) have been adopted as sons of God, into that most loving, intimate family we call the Holy Trinity.

It was the action of our elder brother, the Lord Jesus, in dying on the cross that made such an adoption possible, and in this way enabled us to share the love of His Father. Given the way that humanity treated Him, the generosity of that sharing is utterly astounding.

Let us bow before Him in gratitude and adoration.

​Kevin Haigh