A Look at the Early Catholic Church from the Acts of the

Apostles
Msgr. Charles Pope April 26, 2016 2 Comments

The second reading from last Sundays Mass (5th Sunday of Easter) is
very Catholic, and too informative to merely pass up. It presents the Church
as rather highly organized and possessed of some of the structures we
know today in full form. Granted, some of these structures are in seminal
form, but they arethere.
We will also notice qualities of the original kerygma that are at variance
with what some modern thinkers declare should be the methodology of the
Church. The soft Christianity of those who replace the cross with a pillow
and who insist on solely inclusion and affirmation is strangely absent in this
early setting.
Lets look the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 14:21-27) and
see there the true path of priests, teachers, and leaders in the Church. Four
steps are prescribed for our consideration, by noting that they went forth
announcing, admonishing, appointing, and accounting.
I. Announcing The text says, After Paul and Barnabas had
proclaimed the good news to that city and made a considerable
number of disciples
Notice that the happiness is linked to the harvest. By proclaiming the
Good News, they yield a great harvest. As Catholics, we are not sent out
merely to proclaim a list of duties; we are sent to proclaim the Gospel. And
the Gospel is this: God so loved the world that He sent his Son, who by
dying and rising from the dead has purchased for us a whole new life, free
from sin and the rebellious obsessions of this world. He is victorious over
all the death-directed drives of this world. Simply put, he has triumphed
over these forces and enabled us to walk in newness of life.
God save us from brands of the faith in which rules and obligations
are all that is heard by sour-faced saints, dead disciples, fussy Pharisees,
bored believers, and frozen chosen. Save us from Pharisaical philosophers
who are obsessed with particulars not even commanded by God, who
sneer at things they consider beneath than their preferences.

No, we are sent to announce a new life, a life free from the bondage of sin,
rebellion, sensuality, greed, lust, domination, and revenge. We are sent to
announce a life of joy, confidence, purity, chastity, generosity, and devotion
to the truth rooted in Love.
Yes, here is a joyful announcement rooted in the
cry Anastasis (Resurrection)! New Life! The old order of sin is gone and a
new life of freedom from sin is here!
Did everyone accept this as good news? No. Some, indeed many, were
offended and sought to convict Christians as disturbers of the peace.
Some dont like to have their sin and bondage called out as such. They
prefer bondage, sin, and darkness to light, holiness, and freedom.
As Catholics, we announce what is intrinsically good news, and we
ought to start sounding like it by proclaiming it with joy. We must
proclaim it without the bitterness and anger that are indicative of those who
are more interested in winning an argument than in joyfully announcing
something wonderful, freeing, and true.
II. Admonishing The text says, they returned to Lystra and to
Iconium and to Antioch. They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, It is necessary
for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.
Preaching/teaching is a process. You dont just preach or teach once and
then move on; you return and reiterate. Paul and Barnabas are retracing
their steps back through towns they have already evangelized. They do not
just come, have a tent revival, and move on. They return and, as we shall
see, they establish the Church.
Notice what they do:
1. Encourage They strengthened the spirits of the disciples.
2. Exhort They exhorted them to persevere in the faith.
3. Explain They explained by saying, It is necessary for us to undergo
many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.
Lets focus especially on the last the point. Paul and Barnabas teach
that if youre not willing to endure the cross, no crown will come your way. If
you cant stand a little disappointment, if you cant stand being talked

about, if you think you should always be up and never down, then Ive
come to remind you: No cross, no crown.
Yes, beware of cross-less Christianity. We do have good news to
proclaim but there is also the truth that we get to the resurrection and the
glory through the cross. There is a test in every testimony, a trial in every
triumph. There are demands of discipleship, requirements for renewal, laws
of love, and sufferings set forth for Saints.
Good preaching combines the hardship and the happiness in one
message. It is a joy to follow in the footsteps of our Lord, who endured
hostility, hardship, and the horrors of the cross but still triumphed and
showed that the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. Yes, He caught
the wise in their craftiness and showed that the thoughts of the wise in this
word are futile (cf 1 Cor 3:20). He made a public spectacle of them,
triumphing over them (paradoxically) by the cross (cf Col 2:15).
Thus, St. Paul and Barnabas announce the cross, a stumbling block to
the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles (cf 1 Cor 1:23). Many today insist
that the Church soft-pedal the cross, that she use honey, not vinegar. No
can do. We joyfully announce and uphold the paradox of the cross. We
must be willing to be a sign of contradiction to this world, which sees only
pleasure and the indulgence of sinful drives as the way forward, which
exalts freedom without truth or obedience, and which calls good what God
calls sinful.
Too many so-called Christian denominations have adopted the pillow
as their image and have a give the people what they want mentality. That
is 180 degrees out of phase with the cross.
The Catholic Church does not exist to reflect the views of its
members, but to reflect the views of its founder and head, Jesus Christ. As
He went out to die, Jesus announced the cross without ambiguity,
saying, Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this
world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw
all men to me (John 12:31-32).
And so we announce the cross not merely as suffering, but as life,
power, and love. By the power of the cross, it is possible to live without
sin, to overcome rebellion, pride, lust, and greed; it is possible to learn to
forgive and to live the truth in love.

The world will hate us for this. But such hardships, such crosses, are
necessary preludes to the hallelujah of Heaven. The Church can do no less
than to point to the cross. The center of our faith is a cross not a pillow. And
the cross is our only hope (Ave Crux spes unica nostra (Hail, O Cross, our
only hope).
Yes, the Church announces the cross and admonishes a world obsessed
with pleasure and with passing, fake happiness.
III. Appointing The text says, They appointed presbyters for them in
each church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the
Lord in whom they had put their faith. Then they traveled through
Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. After proclaiming the word at Perga
they went down to Attalia.
And thus we see the ordination of priest leaders in every place.
Priest is just an English mispronunciation of the word presbyter. Paul
and Barnabas did not simply go about vaguely preaching and then moving
on. They established local churches with a structure of authority. The whole
Pauline corpus of writings indicates a need to continue oversight of these
local churches and to stay in touch with the priest leaders established to
lead these local parishes.
Later, St. Paul spoke of the need for this structure in other places
when he wrote (to Titus),
This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective,
and appoint presbyters in every town as I directed you (Titus 1:5).
This appointment was done through the laying on of hands and is
called ordination today. It was a way of establishing order and office in the
Church to make sure that the work continued and that the Church was
governed by order. This is why we call the sacrament involved here the
Sacrament of Holy Orders.
Note, too, that a critical task for leaders in the Church is to develop
and train new leaders. Too many parishes depend on individual
charismatic and gifted leaders whose inevitable departure leaves a void,
not an ongoing ministry or organization. This should not be so. Good
leaders train new leaders.

IV. Accounting The text says, From there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work
they had now accomplished. And when they arrived, they called the
church together and reported what God had done with them and how
he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Note that Paul and Barnabas are now returning to render an
account for what they have done. Accountability is part of a healthy
Church. Every priest should render an account to his bishop, every bishop
to his metropolitan and to the Pope. Todays ad limina visits of bishops to
the Pope is the way this is done. Further, priests are accountable to their
bishop through various mechanisms such as yearly reports and other
meetings.
A further background to this text is that Paul and Barnabas are returning to
Antioch because it was from there that they were sent forth by the local
bishops and priests on this missionary task.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set
apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.
Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them
off (Acts 13:2).
Thus St. Paul was not the lone ranger that some think him to be. He was
sent and was accountable.
But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me
through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I
might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with flesh and blood,
nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I
went away into Arabia; and again I returned to Damascus. Then after three
years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and remained with him fifteen
days (Gal 1:15-18).
Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas,
taking Titus along with me. I went up by revelation; and I laid before them
(but privately before those who were of repute) the gospel which I preach
among the Gentiles, lest somehow I should be running or had run in
vain (Gal 2:1).

The preacher and teacher must be accountable: For we shall all stand
before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, As I live, says the Lord,
every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God. So
each of us shall give account of himself to God (Rom 14:10-12).
And thus we see some paths for priests, preachers, teachers, and leaders.
We must announce the Gospel as good news, with joy and confidence. We
must admonish a world obsessed with pleasures to embrace the cross as
our only hope. We must continue to develop, train, and appoint leaders to
follow after us. And we must be accountable to one another.
A nice and quick portrait of some healthy traits for the Church!