And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. Acts 4:32
“Let us consider, beloved brethren, what the congregation of believers did in the time of the apostles, when at the first beginnings the mind flourished with greater virtues, when the faith of believers burned with a warmth of faith as yet new. Then they sold houses and farms, and gladly and liberally presented to the apostles the proceeds to be dispensed to the poor; selling and alienating their earthly estate, they transferred their lands thither where they might receive the fruits of an eternal possession, and there prepared homes where they might begin an eternal habitation. Such, then, was the abundance in labors, as was the agreement in love, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles: “And the multitude of them that believed acted with one heart and one soul; neither was there any distinction among them, nor did they esteem anything their own of the goods which belonged to them, but they had all things common.” This is truly to become sons of God by spiritual birth; this is to imitate by the heavenly law the equity of God the Father. For whatever is of God is common in our use; nor is any one excluded from His benefits and His gifts, so as to prevent the whole human race from enjoying equally the divine goodness and liberality. Thus the day equally enlightens, the sun gives radiance, the rain moistens, the wind blows, and the sleep is one to those that sleep, and the splendor of the stars and of the moon is common. In which example of equality, he who, as a possessor in the earth, shares his returns and his fruits with the fraternity, while he is common and just in his gratuitous bounties, is an imitator of God the Father.”
Cyprian of Carthage (190-258) in his Treatise 8. On Works and Alms, 25.
As I lean into the idea of giving and sharing in Lent, I am moved by the way in which Cyprian, an early third century bishop, quotes the book of Acts and calls us to be imitators of God.
He does so by celebrating how the early church viewed everything as “common” and how God supplies to all of creation all that we need in “common” so when we are “common and just” in our generosity, we imitate Him.
This is thoroughly un-American thinking. In my culture, people focus on owning possessions. When God owns everything, this represents toxic thinking. Nothing could be more unhealthy for Christians.
Everything we possess came to us as a gift from God who gives us the ability to produce wealth. We must see all we have as common. This mindset change is vital as we begin Lent.