“If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?” These are the words of St. Peter explaining how he came to welcome Gentiles into the Christian fellowship. The people were amazed that God “granted life-giving repentance” to those they considered to be sinners. There is an echo in words of Pope Francis when he famously said, “If a person is gay and seeks out the Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person?” St. Peter and Pope Francis were both finding ways to include people under the umbrella of God’s mercy, instead of excluding “the other” — so should we.
MAY82017
By Church Staff
