Before departing from his disciples, Jesus promised to leave them with peace. This peace would be achieved through keeping His words, which not only means assimilating His teaching, but primarily involves emulating His love in constantly evolving circumstances. The disciples would be assisted by the guiding presence of the Holy Spirit.
Circumcision was a very divisive issue in the early church. Fortunately, under the leadership of the Apostles, and no doubt with inspiration from above, it was decided not to burden non-Jewish catechumens with a requirement that was totally foreign to them. Thus, the door for the universal outreach of Christianity was opened wide.
The newly elected Pope Leo XIV, in his welcoming speech, appealed for peace several times. He will have to face more tensions in the contemporary Catholic church than Paul and Barnabas did 20 centuries ago, since the much more complex world provides more agendas to deal with. Let us then pray for him and his many advisors, that they might be able to discern the will of the Holy Spirit in important decisions and to enjoy Christ’s peace after their implementation.
– Fr. Toni Baranowski, SJ
