St. Luke describes what has come to be known as the Council of Jerusalem. The issue that brought the early leaders of the Jesus movement together was a perennial one in the Church. Do we expect Christians to abide by a certain set of rules and behaviors and if they don’t they are excluded from membership? Or do we welcome all who approach the church even if they live in a way which, from a certain perspective, does not measure up to authentic Christian living? Balancing the tension between these two perspectives is an ongoing aspect of Church practice. Pope Francis suggests that in striving to come up with the resolution of the tension we should tilt the scale relying on the mercy of God.