A Word about the Mutual Love of Christians

In the sermon “A Word on the Mutual Love of Christians” by St. Ambrose of Milan cites as an example the piety of the first Christian communities created by the apostles. Having accepted faith in Christ, no one else considered anything theirs - they had everything in common. The saint compares physical and spiritual kinship: “Brothers in the flesh are sometimes at enmity with each other; and brothers in Christ are constantly at peace with each other.” True brothers are those who have one spirit and one will. By depriving themselves of their property for the sake of Christ and leaving nothing for themselves, Christians thereby cared not “so that they themselves would not be hungry, but they cared so that others would not go hungry.” Therefore, there was not a single poor person among them. St. Ambrose laments that brotherly love has cooled nowadays: “The same Christ, but not the same heart. ...nowadays there is such coldness among Christians that you can hardly find one rich among them. Here I mean rich not so much in property as in deeds.” The year the sermon was preached is unknown. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles we read that the piety of the people under the supervision of the Apostles was so great, and the first Christian society flourished so much that, having accepted the faith, no one any longer kept their home for themselves and did not consider anything theirs, but, by the right of brotherhood, they had everything in common. Those who professed the same faith had fellowship with each other in life, that is, those who had the same faith had the same property, and those who had Christ in common had the same expenses. For pious men considered it a crime not to make a sharer in their property the one who shared with them in grace; and therefore, like brothers, they enjoyed everything together. Brotherhood in Christ is incomparably better than brotherhood according to the flesh; because brotherhood in the flesh consists only of bodily affinity; and brotherhood in Christ is in like-mindedness and unanimity, as it is written: “But the people who believed were one in heart and soul” (Acts 4:32). Therefore, he is truly a brother who resembles us not so much in body as in soul. He, I say, is a true brother who has one spirit and one will with his brother. So brotherhood in Christ (as I already said) is better than brotherhood in the flesh. Brothers in the flesh are sometimes at enmity with each other; and brothers in Christ are constantly at peace with each other. Those sometimes, with envy, share the common property among themselves; These always gladly sacrifice each other and their property. The former are often despised by society and their relatives; and the latter often accept strangers into themselves. Such was the piety of Christians (as I already said) during the time of the Apostles that none of them called their own house their own, no one appropriated anything for themselves, as St. Luke says: “and not one of them said that he was his own from his possessions, but held everything in common for them” (Acts 4:32). That is why there was not a single poor person among them. So blessed is that people who, having many rich in Christ, did not have a single poor one in the present age, and who, thinking about eternal riches, freed their brethren from temporary poverty. For they sold, as the Scripture says, their estates and houses, and laid the price of what was sold at the feet of the Apostles, in order to provide to everyone what they needed (Acts 4:34-35). You see the faith of the holy men, how they lost all their possessions for Christ and left nothing for themselves. For they were not careful that they themselves should not be hungry, but they were careful that others should not go hungry. Such was the piety among the people under the supervision of the Apostles! Are we currently finding anything similar? Of course, our Christ is the same. The same Christ, but not the same heart. The people have the same Faith, but there is no more generosity. One does not think about the poverty of the other, so what the Apostle said comes true: “for both he hungers and he gets drunk” (1 Cor 11:21). For many Christians not only do not give away what is theirs, but also steal what belongs to others. Not only, I say, do they not bring their wealth to the feet of the Apostles, but they also distract their coming brethren from the feet of the priests. Now the time has come about which the blessed Apostle writes: in the last days, lawlessness will increase and love will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). For now the sin of stinginess, which previously disappeared from generosity, has multiplied, and brotherly love, which was once inflamed by the love of Christ, has cooled. In the time of the Apostles, brotherly love reigned, so that there was no poverty in the society of believers; but now there is such coldness among Christians that you can hardly find one rich person among them. Here I mean rich not so much in property as in deeds. For the Apostle said: let them be rich in good works (1 Tim. 6:18). He wanted the community of believers to honor those who are rich in Christ as rich. And the testimony that in the time of the Apostles there was not a single poor person shows us that then they had so much grace of faith, that they all abounded in heavenly riches. But nowadays we rarely find anyone rich among Christians, and although many are rich in gold in their homes, in the church they are poor in charity. For when they do not help the poor as much as they can, then what they bring is unpleasant (to God), and what they save does not satisfy them. This is what the Lord said to Cain when he made the sacrifice: “Food, if you brought the right, but you did not share the right, have you not sinned? Be silent” (Gen. 4:7): so you, Christian, do not share righteously when you save more of your great wealth for your belly than you give to the Lord. So Ananias, mentioned in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, thought that he offered righteously; but, having divided it incorrectly, he lost both the money he brought and the money he left at home; – lost not only money, but also salvation. For when he stole part of what was promised, he was at the same time convicted of sacrilege and deceit. In sacrilege, because he lied to God in his promise; - in deception, because he decided to hide some part of the whole gift. For the Apostle Peter said to him: “Thou didst not lie to man, but to God” (Acts 5:4). So, brethren, if Ananias is condemned for not giving everything that he himself promised from his property, what will happen to the one who does not want to give what he promised to others? So, brothers, do not lose sight of what you promised to God when you first accepted the grace of Faith. There are many strange and aliens in our city, do what you promised, so that it will not be said to you, like Ananias: you lied not to men, but to God. You might be interested in: