DAILY HOMILIES #caesarea

Peter’s experience in Caesarea (the Gentile town where Jesus made Peter head of the Church) teaches us to avoid judging people (or looking down on them) because they are not yet baptised. It shows that Jesus is a good shepherd who makes room for everyone, regardless of nationality, tribe, creed, or race. Peter was shocked that the so-called “pagans” received the Holy Spirit as the early Christians gathered in the upper room on Pentecost Day.

Peter’s experience also reminds us of Jesus’ warning to the Jews: “Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you, God is able, from these stones, to raise children to Abraham.” (Matthew 3:9). Let us avoid pride. The fact that someone is not a church member does not mean they don’t have access to God. To successfully convert a person, you must respect and recognise their previous beliefs.