Word to the Wise
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 - Wednesday in the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
[Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14 and Luke 11:1-4]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. [Galatians]
Oh, would I have loved to have been at the scene of that encounter! Paul and Peter, face to face! I'm not sure which side I could take! We have Paul on one side arguing for sticking to one principle! We have Peter on the other arguing that things aren't all that black and white, and why ruffle all the feathers, etc. It makes me think of many a pastoral situation! We are all familiar with the word, "polarization," now because the media constantly speak of the way our country is divided ideologically! Every politician knows there are times when he or she has to act in ways that seem to contradict principle because of fear of a particular group of voters! We can be quick with the word, "hypocrite!" That is essentially what Paul is calling Peter! The truth of a principle is not changed by the less than perfect application of it by humans to real life situations! Nevertheless, as long as there are humans who are applying principles, there will be uneveness and ambiguity in the results. An over zealous judgment can be as harmful as a weak backbone when it comes to principle! The result of the confrontation between Paul and Peter was a compromise that met the immediate issue of gentile converts and Jewish observance. Eventually the whole matter became a "non-issue." Perhaps cooler and wiser heads might have seen that possibility, but when there are two rather volatile personalities squaring off on an issue, it's hard to stay cool and wise. Indirectly, Paul and Peter may be reminding us of the necessity, no matter what, to look for the cooler and wiser heads in matters of conflict resolution in our communities of faith! AMEN
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