I always love hearing this reading from the 4th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles during the Easter season, telling us how the communion of believers in the Early Church were of one heart and one mind, sharing their things in common, making sure that they took care of those in the community in need. However, we don’t often hear this next section from Acts, the story of Ananias and Sapphira. This couple sold a piece of property, but they kept a portion of the money they received for themselves. Peter asks ananias why he did that. But when Ananias denies this deed to Peter, Peter accuses him of lying to God, at which point, Ananias falls down dead. Then Peter asks the same thing of Sapphira, at which point she also falls down dead. In St Peter’s basilica in Rome, there is an altar where a painting depicts this scene. It is called the Altar of the lie. A lot of times we put things before God, don’t we? We make other things our gods and our idols. And we refusing to be truthful to God. Not being truthful can disrupt or break our relationship with God or with our brothers and sisters. How free our we to be an integral part of our community of Faith? To follow the call we receive form God? Or are we just trying to deceive ourselves and deceive God?
No comments:
Post a Comment