Many of us know that the church can never be a democracy, where the opinions and votes of the faithful are important. This is because there are fundamental matters concerning faith and morals that cannot be changed to suit certain people, and if we are to dwell in the opinions of everyone, then we would find it impossible or extremely difficult to make decisions, sometimes decisions which may not be popular or difficult for some to accept. This is because different people would think that their opinion is what matters, and this would lead to disagreements, which may eventually lead to conflict, chaos and disunity.
In the first reading, the early Christian community faced a problem, because some of them believed that they should still follow Jewish customs, for example circumcision and prohibitions towards certain foods. This is because to them, Jesus was a Jew and had also followed Jewish ways and rituals. But there was also another group of Christians who recognised that Jesus was not merely another Jewish teacher wanting to reform his religion, but He was the Son of God who came to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God, where customs and rituals which separated and differentiated one race from the other could no longer be barriers to Christian brotherhood. Towards the end of the reading, we are told that a decision was made, where the Gentile converts should “not be saddled with any burden beyond certain essentials.”
This is where Christian communities throughout the centuries continued to survive and grow with guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to the church and to each of us believers. As Jesus tells us in the Gospel: “I have said these things to you while still with you; but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.” His presence enables us to experience peace in our decisions even in the midst of chaos and problems, because through His guidance, we can still come to a common decision that reflects the will of God, in spite of all our personal opinions and ways of thinking. Without the Holy Spirit, the Church and unity would not be possible.
At the end of the day, our decisions must always be made with reference to the Church and the community as a whole. Some of us may be tempted to think that my opinion is the best and the most important of all, but what matters most is not this or that opinion or even the opinion of the majority, but the will of God that we must search for with guidance of the Holy Spirit. May we continue to discern carefully and listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, for the benefit and good of the entire Church and community, and for the glory of God.