Word to the Wise
Saturday, April 14, 2018 - 2nd Week of Easter - Sat
[Acts 6:1-7 and John 6:16-21]As the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, "It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table." [Acts]
I will return to the Gospel According to John in the weekday gospel scriptures on Monday. Today's first scripture from the Acts of the Apostles is very much worth our consideration. If one were to read in Acts the passages at 2:42-47 and 4:32-37, it would be easy to think that the early Christian community was just one big happy family. However, growth brought the usual challenges to any movement. The "Hellenists" were Greek-speaking converts or else Jews brought up in cities where Greek was still the primary language from the days of Alexander the Great. The "Hebrews" were those who spoke Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke. Language differences may mean cultural differences (as we know well in the USA) and possible preferences on the part of those administering the commonly held resources of the community. This seems to be what happened. If we want to find a modern example, parishes which experience growth from the influx of immigrant populations often have conflicts over liturgical language and other resources. Right now, this growth is expressed by increasing numbers of Spanish-speaking parishioners who are more comfortable with liturgy in Spanish.
The Twelve, confronted with angry Hellenist widows, ran for cover! Wisely they decided to delegate the job of dealing with the daily distribution of food, etc. Their problem is one that I experience often in preaching retreats for priests and for deacons. The administrative side of ministry often seems to take over the challenge of preaching the word. Although the "deacons" created in the account from Acts may not have been exactly what the Permanent Diaconate is in our time, nevertheless Permanent Deacons look to this action as their origin. Their role is still being debated and Pope Francis has indicated an openness to the possibility of women being ordained to the Permanent Diaconate.
The challenge of multi-cultural parish life and ministry will be with us for some time to come. The tension between administrative and spiritual aspects of ministry will always be there. Both challenges were met by the early Christian community, and we will meet them too with the help of the Holy Spirit. AMEN