And when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong. For, until some people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself, because he was afraid of the circumcised. I said to Cephas in front of all, "If you, though a Jew, are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?" (Gal 2:1-2, 7-14)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100924.cfm
In Paul’s famous confrontation with Peter, what exactly is the issue? The issue, of course, is the Gentiles (the non-Jewish converts). And of course, James in Jerusalem is stirring the pot in Antioquia. And as Paul points out, Peter is a hypocrite. Why would the kosher laws be an issue for the early church? Well, when eating with Gentiles becomes the problem, the Eucharist itself, sharing the meal that Jesus gave us, the unity of the community itself, is at risk.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Wednesday, Week XXVII, Ordinary Time
