Communal Responsibility

Were the early Christians communists?

Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. - Matthew 14:16-20

When we reflect on today's Gospel reading, it is easy to look at it as another miracle and fail to see the underlying meaning behind the actions of Jesus and his disciples.

The reason they felt compelled to feed the people who came to hear Jesus was a sense of communal responsibility.  All were part of the family and all should be cared for.

I see this every day at Caritas, where we feed people breakfast and lunch.  But we don't just feed those who are present.

We give them take out trays to bring to members of their family who are not with them, as well as for meals later on when they are alone and possibly out in the cold.

On some days, it seems like a miracle that we can feed so many, given the limitations of the kitchen and our storage capacity, but some how, through the grace of God, we manage to give everyone something.

You cannot sit and eat with someone and still call them a stranger.  Jesus knew that, and he invited all to come to the table. 

The early followers of Christ shared what they received with each other and with all who came to the table.  I guess you could call that communism, but I call it family.

By feeding the five thousand, I believe Jesus was sending a message to all his followers to love one another as family.

We tend to forget that the disciples were not wealthy.  They had given up their careers to follow Jesus, and now they were as dependent on the kindness and love from others as the ones with whom they shared.

We may not think that is the way we want to live, but if we ever find ourselves in a situation where we need help, we pray there are people out there who think and act as Jesus and his disciples did.

So, that's the message.  Not that we should give because they could be us, but because they are us.

More to come...