The secret of the growth of the early Christian communities was their unity of minds and hearts. They were united in the Lord and their pursuit of the common good of the community. No one was in need, for they shared all things in common. Because of this way of life, the Spirit was able to work with such power among and through them.

Many people were baptised because of the witness of the life of the community. If our communities are divided by factions, hatreds, and inequalities, we should not be surprised if the Spirit seems absent. Building community begins with each one of us - that should be our goal each day.

Jesus insisted that to experience the kingdom of God, we must be born from above. Humans cannot reach God by their powers. God's gift that we call - the Spirit - enables us to rise above our human limitations and understand spiritual things. We need to prepare our minds and hearts to receive this gift. Jesus used the image of the serpent on the pole in speaking of himself.

In the Old Testament, those who had been bitten by deadly serpents gazed at the bronze image of the serpent and were cured. In a similar way, when we raise our minds and hearts to the crucified and risen Lord, we are healed of our spiritual woundedness and made whole again.