An impossible dream? Holding all things in common – Acts 4:32-37

I was of two minds concerning today’s reading from the Act of the Apostles. One thought how beautiful to see a description of people living as sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. The other said how impossible in today’s world, not to mention how communist. Then someone reminded me Mondragon in Spain which was selected as one of the 10 European Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises in 2009.

Rooted in principles of Catholic social teaching Mondragon Corp. is huge, hard-nosed business-wise and successful; in 2008, with Spain’s economy in the doldrums, MCC’s income rose 6%, to 16.8 billion euros. The Mondragon Corp. maintains its commitment to one-worker, one-vote democratic governance through a complex, carefully honed organizational structure in which the corporation serves as a kind of metacooperative for the individual companies. Through representatives and resources drawn from the larger network, it provides support for planning, research and generation funding for new businesses.

While not quite holding all things in common it is certainly a kind of approach to property and production that is closer to the model in Acts than anything we know. And apparently it works.