Consensus

When needs are not being met, what do we tend to do? We tend to attempt to solve them in some form of fashion. We come across an issue in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. There is a problem. Some of the Hellenistic widows are being neglected in the daily distribution. Because the number of disciples is growing there is a shortage. Some widows are going without or with little. Once the complaint is known what happens? The Twelve call for the community of disciples to come together. Group decisions are best because everyone has the opportunity to voice their concerns and their solutions. Consensus is the best form of decision-making. You don’t get everything you want but you do get some of what you want. Consensus building takes time. Consensus requires listening to the others. Consensus expects openness to a “give and take” process towards mutual agreement. Once the input has occurred, the Twelve come up with a decision. They appointed seven additional men to help with the task at hand. The first was Stephen. Stephen was one of seven deacons chosen to “serve tables” in the First Church of Jerusalem. This was not a job as a waiter in a restaurant. It was a job which was created to help the Apostles with administrative problems so they could give full time to preaching the gospel. There were two kinds of Jews in Jerusalem who had converted to the Christian faith: Hellenist Jews and Palestinian Jews. The Hellenists were Jews who spoke Greek and who had come from foreign countries, made the discovery of Christ, and had stayed in Jerusalem. The Palestinian Jews spoke Aramaic and Hebrew, were rigidly orthodox, and looked with contempt upon the “foreign” Jews. The Hellenistic widows felt they were being neglected in the daily distribution to the needy. So seven deacons, all Hellenist Jews, were elected to oversee the apportionment of the monies and provisions for the needy in the fellowship. When issues arise in your community – be that the parish, the family or even you work environment – how do you solve the problem? What means do you employ to come to a solution that all can participate and implement? Take a tip from the Twelve, try consensus. See how it can help address the issues you face.