St. Mary's Church Elizabeth, IL

9/14

Can we see the hand of God in others?

READ GALATIANS, CHAPTER 2, VERSES 1 TO 10

     It has been said that to a man who possesses only a hammer, every problem is a nail. The truth of this proverb is certainly visible within the Church. Not one of us called to discipleship in Jesus Christ can see the true length and breadth and depth of the Body of Christ. It's so easy to miss the genuine gifts of others or to totally misconstrue them if they are drastically different from us. 

        "He worked through Peter...also worked through me."

                                                                             Galatians 2:8

This was the problem facing Paul in his meeting with James, John, and Peter -the "pillars" of the Jerusalem church - some fourteen years after his conversion. The three apostles had been hand-picked by Jesus during his ministry and were well known to the other members of the church in Jerusalem. But who was Paul? What right did he have to proclaim a Jewish Messiah to the Gentile world? Paul recounts in today's reading his meeting with these leaders accompanied by a fellow missionary named Barnabas.

     Reflecting on this gathering - recounted in Acts 15 as the "Council of Jerusalem" - Paul reminds the Galatians that these leaders recognized the legitimacy of his ministry. "When they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised... (James, Peter, and John) gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship." In the end, all involved were open to the divine grace that enabled them to recognize a wider vineyard beyond their own horizons. It is a hallmark of holiness to be able to see the hand of God in the work of others whose ways and ideas differ markedly from your own. 

     Do I celebrate the gifts of those closest to me or do Ifear them?

Prayer Starter: Help me, Lord Jesus, to cherish the charisms of others, as much as I value my own.

Fr. Joachim