In those days, as the number of disciples was increasing, those who spoke Greek complained against those who spoke Hebrew, saying that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution…
5TH SUNDAY OF EASTER
ACTS 6:1-7
In those days, as the number of disciples was increasing, those who spoke Greek complained against those who spoke Hebrew, saying that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
The apostles called the whole group of disciples together and said:
– “It would not be right for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
In the accounts of the early church, we are presented with a church that is familial, in which the authority of the Apostles is not exercised in a monarchical or even collegiate manner. It is the community that makes the decisions.
In this text, we see the designation of the first seven deacons by the community, and the laying on of hands by the apostles. These accounts give rise to multiple considerations about the forms of authority in the church. We will briefly indicate only two:
1)
The somewhat idyllic image that sometimes appears in Acts is somewhat betrayed in these details. There were tensions and difficulties, there were differences of opinion…
And there was in the community the seed of a profound crisis that would later become apparent: the Judaizers and the Hellenists, two clearly differentiated groups, some more traditional, still clinging to the Law of Moses: their visible leader would be James, the brother of the Lord. Others more open, who would understand The New News independently of the Old Law: their champion in the future would be Paul.
The confrontation of these two tendencies would take place at the so-called “Council of Jerusalem,” which is recounted in the Book of Acts in chapter 15, and in chapter 2 of the letter to the Galatians. We see, therefore, that Luke selects and interprets the events to make clear the presence of the Spirit, but he is faithful to his sources, even though what he recounts is not perfect.
2)
In such a small church, authority is exercised in a paternal manner, and does not replace the community. The Apostles present initiatives to the community and it “seems good” to them and they approve, and it is the community that chooses the deacons.
Reading these things, we feel a strong longing for that church organization; we would like things to be able to function that way today, that it would be the faithful who would choose….
There is, however, another consideration to be made: the forms of government of the current Church are not the only possible ones; historically, the Church has also functioned in different, less monarchical ways, and “the first bishops” made it clear that they preferred not to take charge of the organizational aspects of the church, in order to be able to dedicate themselves “to prayer and the service of the Word.”
(There would be another very interesting topic for meditation, but we are only going to state it: the last sentence: “even many priests accepted the faith.” That is to say, it is precisely the priests who had the most difficulty in accepting Jesus… (We note the topic, without developing it)
1 PETER 2:4-9
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,” and, “A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
In today’s reading, we continue to delve into the theology of the church. A people of priests, offering spiritual sacrifices. A nation consecrated by God, who has passed from darkness into light, grounded in Christ, the cornerstone of the building. Faith in Jesus is what constitutes the church. Accepting the crucified and risen one, this is the cornerstone, which defines the church as a new way of being and living in relation to God and to men.
This is the Stone over which the priests of Israel stumble, who seem to have more difficulty than anyone in accepting Jesus. Here the theme of Jesus as a stumbling stone is pointed out. Jesus crucified, foolishness to the Greeks, a stumbling block to the Jews, the power of salvation to those who believe, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1.
In this text, there is a veiled but clear comparison of the church with the people of Israel as it appeared in the Book of Exodus: this is the New People, called from darkness into light, “from slavery into service,” a consecrated nation, acquired by God, destined for The Mission, to proclaim the deeds of the Lord, to be a messenger of Salvation.
José Enrique Galarreta, S.J.