The Perfect Parish

The Acts of the Apostles, read through the Easter Season, often presents an idyllic vision of church life. The early church community was certainly filled with joy and enthusiasm after the Lord's resurrection. We hear how the new believers preached the Word of God and had wonderful success in baptizing and receiving seemingly thousands into the believing Assembly.

The community life is expressed in Acts 2 as being faithful to the breaking of the bread, knowing and teaching the Apostles' instructions, receiving as one had needs, and giving to each as they needed. It even adds that together they "broke bread joyfully in their homes." It sure would be nice to have such a community to join.

There are hints of difficulties and divisions in this seemingly perfect community. Some members did hold back from the community, but they met quick retribution by suddenly being struck dead! Deacons are chosen for the care of the Greek speaking believers. Stephen, one of those chosen, becomes the protomartyr of the Church.

The missionary journeys of Paul and the others are marked with a mixture of the successful preaching of the gospel, but suffering and imprisonment was, likewise, the common life of the early believers.

The Acts of the Apostles was written and is now read during the Easter Season, not to present a perfect community of people, but a group of believers in their encounter of the Lord raised from the dead. The early church was a community of human beings whose lives were changed by their encounter with the risen Lord and the action of the Holy Spirit.

Not Perfect
Often enough in reading the Acts, along with the Book of Revelation, we find it hard to live in a community of believers which is not perfect. The Easter gospels present something seemingly more believable, where believers are frightened, hesitant, back at their old employment. Into that world Jesus brings his peace and encouragement. These human beings are fed with the bread from heaven in the "breaking of the bread."

After many years of pastoring in a parish, you learn to believe, like many other faithful and

long-time believers. There is no perfect parish, nor perfect church. We are a people on the way to the Kingdom.

Parish Shopping
Often enough Catholics go "parish shopping," for that perfect parish. I am not one of those shoppers, but I often wonder what such a parish would look like. Or I give lots of thought to what a "good" parish would be if we could find one. Here are some thoughts of a parish:

• Sunday Eucharist is central, where God's Word is proclaimed, heard, and celebrated. Every registered parishioner would come every week.
• Families and neighborhoods share all things in common and give to each believer as they need.
• Believers are so excited about the faith that they would share it as a blessing with everyone they met.
• Finances are not as central, since all give in full proportion to the blessings which God has given them.
• Everyone works for the up building of the Kingdom: feeding the poor, giving drink to the thirsty, providing shelter for those without, and bring peace and reconciliation to the world around them.
• Burdens and difficulties are carried for others so that the Lord would be visible in our neighbors.
• Home communities are communities of faith, where prayerful people share at their tables, enjoying life in the Lord together.
• Complaining and bickering are unknown among believers. The Lord's peace takes away our fears and defenses.

Possible?
Faith today is just like the faith of the early Church. Life in the community may at times seem great, but in the human endeavor of believing we walk through the good and the bad. In the middle of all of this we find Christ among us. We hear his words of peace, which take away fear. We discover that in our baptismal life we have passed in Christ from death to life. These are not pipe dreams, nor is the Church "reality" negativity. Our reality is that we live and love in Christ as he calls us to the Kingdom.

CDH