***
Acts 11: 1-8
The Apostles and the brothers who were in Judea
heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God.
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem
the circumcised believers confronted him, saying,
‘You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.”
Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying,
“I was at prayer in the city of Joppa
when in a trance I had a vision,
something resembling a large sheet coming down,
lowered from the sky by its four corners, and it came to me.
Looking intently into it,
I observed and saw the four-legged animals of the earth,
the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky.
I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’
But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir,
because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
But a second time a voice from heaven answered,
‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.’
This happened three times,
and then everything was drawn up again into the sky.
Just then three men appeared at the house where we were,
who had been sent to me from Caesarea.
The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating.
These six brothers also went with me,
and we entered the man’s house.
He related to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, saying,
‘Send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter,
who will speak words to you
by which you and all your household will be saved.’
As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them
as it had upon us at the beginning,
and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said,
‘John baptized with water
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us
when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who was I to be able to hinder God?”
When they heard this,
they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying,
“God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too.”
The Word of the Lord.
***
***
The Acts of the Apostles describes the life of the early Church, and although in its infancy, it is already filled with tension.
The disciples are questioning each other and disagreeing over many things.
As we hear in our first reading, could the Gentiles be saved? Or was salvation only for the Jews? Did Christians have to follow Old Testament rituals? Could you eat meat sacrificed to idols? What was the work of a deacon or a deaconess?
***
Although Jesus instructed his Apostles for three years, he didn’t answer every question they had. Nor did Jesus leave answers for the questions that would arise as the Gospel started mingling with other cultures and religions.
The disciples would have to rely upon the Holy Spirit, praying and discern together as a Church.
***
We are no different today.
There seems to be an endless amount of questions and concerns about how the Gospel is relevant to our lives – and how the Church can minister to people from every walk of life.
It’s a challenge we’ll also feel here in our parish.
How will we bring people back? How will we evangelize our young people and make the Gospel relevant to their lives? To our lives?
***
As we’re reminded in the Acts of the Apostles, we have to work together. We should voice our concerns – and not be afraid to disagree – but then we have to pray together. Discern together. Work together.
Be open to the Spirit, who often generates new ideas and creative solutions, and at times inspires change.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, enkindle in us the fire of your love, and you shall renew the face of the earth.
***
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Image credits: (1) Vecteezy (2) St. Mary and St. Joseph Coptic Orthodox Church (3) Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church
