Believers are those who are of one mind and body, know Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, and love God by keeping God’s commandments.

What does life after Easter look like? The Acts of the Apostles describes a community in which “there was no needy person among them.” It didn’t start that way—the apostles and disciples were very needy in the days between the Resurrection and Pentecost.

Where do we look for signs of love? And how do we prove our love to others? We all know the customary rituals: kisses, words, cards, and flowers. Over time the gifts become more expensive as greater investments of resources are made.

Political campaigns often boil down to a few short sound bites, carefully edited and produced at tremendous cost by professionals who specialize in such a product. After a debate, a candidate’s professional staff works the room of reporters putting a positive spin on what their candidate said and how the debate was handled.

It was a highly unorthodox ritual to play out in the office. He asked his staff to stand in a circle around him. He then moved from one person to the next, called them by name, and said, “I grant you the authority to do your best work.”

If you want your children and grandchildren to grow up generous, let them watch you be generous. In the first reading this weekend we hear how the first Christians shared all they had, with the ultimate result that “there was no needy person among them.”

Blessed are we who hear the Good News and believe. With faith        we bring our prayers before our almighty and eternal God.

He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them . . . .” In his first meeting with the community of believers after his Resurrection, Jesus gives them the Holy Spirit, the abiding presence of God.

Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence.