Hands

On the one hand...

***

"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....
But when I saw
that they were not on the right road
in line with the truth of the Gospel,
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?"

I'm Paul of Tarsus
and I approved this message.

***

And on the other hand...

***

Paul of Tarsus is saying that Peter of Galilee was hypocritical on the issue of Jews and Gentiles.

Let's see what the record REALLY says.

This is what Paul of Tarsus said about himself (1 Cor. 9:20a, 21a, 22b):

"To the Jews I became as a Jew....
To those outside the law
I became as one outside the law....
I have become all things to all men."

"All things to all men"?

Is THIS the kind of leadership we need today?

I'm Peter of Galilee
and I approved this message.

***

Of course, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul did not really behave like squabbling politicians.

There is always a need for proper fraternal correction, to be exercised with charity and a focus on building people up in the truth.

But there is also a great need for us to work together: as the Apostles did in today's first reading (Galatians 1-2, 7-14), to give each other our "right hands in partnership" for the spread of the Gospel, for the common good and for the greater glory of God.