Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Bust of Saint Francis,
a model for the reclining statue

After fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also.

Today’s first reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians gives us another account of the first Church Council. The most recent, of course, was the Second Vatican Council. If the latest one has challenged millions of Catholics, the first one also challenged the disciples of Jesus.

As the latest one faced the many challenges of the Atomic Age, the first one addressed an inescapable problem: gentiles are joining our Jewish religion. If it sounds like a “happy problem” to us today, it was nonetheless a problem, like that faced by our Catholic parishes that are changing from German/Irish to Hispanic. Questions are raised: Do we have to learn their language? Why can’t they learn ours? I don't understand the words, how can I sing their songs? Why do we have to change? Isn’t religion supposed to stay the same forever?”

And as we have suffered emotional upheaval with the changes of Vatican II, old parishes closed, new parishes opened, small parishes combined, and so forth -- so was the early church convulsed by its troubles.

Some disciples must have asked, “Did Jesus want us to include all these strange people in our church? Jesus spoke Aramaic; why are we praying in Greek? Where did these new teachings come from? Is this what Jesus wanted?”

And, most importantly, “If they want to know Jesus, don’t their men have to be circumcised, as Jesus and all the apostles were?”

Apparently the meeting went pretty well. Both Saints Paul and Luke describe a fairly civil discussion, but the application of the decisions was not so simple. As you heard in today’s story, Paul publicly rebuked Peter for his unwillingness to be seen with gentile Christians. Perhaps Peter was trying to avoid the “scene” that Paul was more than willing to cause.

But there could be no discrimination in the Church. Not at that stage; not ever.

In Louisiana an old woman told me how she received her First Communion, many years ago. First, the white children made their first communion; then the white adults received communion; then the little girl (now an old woman) with her friends made their first communion; and, finally, the black adults received the Most Blessed Sacrament.

In those days some people admired the Catholic Church for even admitting African-Americans into the building, although they sat in a far corner of the church and sternly shushed their children into silence, fearful of making their presence felt. No other white Christian church would allow black folks in the front door.

Saint Paul would have been horrified. The Mediterranean world was familiar with people of many languages, colors, and ethnicities and he made a point of welcoming everyone to know Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Any other policy would compromise the integrity of Jesus’ most sacred body.