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Acts 11:1-18

The apostles and the believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.” Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again. “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.’ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Repentance is key to the restoration of a culture of life in our nation. Yet, how we can become so easily discouraged when we experience the dearth of repentance in so very many places. To paraphrase the Gospel lesson this week, we see so many who should be servants exalting themselves above their Master; in fact, attempting to usurp the rule of the Master over human life whether at beginning or end. It is as though the betrayal of Christ by Iscariot is replayed over and over. For Christ said in the upper room, “I say to you, he who receives any one whom I send receives me; and he who receives me receives him who sent me.” (Jn. 13:16) If we view human beings as created in the imago Dei, then receiving them into death rather than life is a very betrayal of Christ. Countless lives have been betrayed in this way.

We hear in the lesson from the Acts of the Apostles that as God has given the gift of Baptism to all, so too He has granted repentance to all, (Acts 11::16, 18) To the thirsty, he will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment and all will be made new. (Rev. 21:5-6) But, there needs to be an awareness of the thirst preceding all else. This is why the witness of those who have had abortions and those who have performed abortions is so vital and so powerful. They have attained to repentance, been washed by Christ, and now realize whom they serve.

Among the repentant, we hear that “…God showed me that He forgave me and everything would be okay.” In humility and contrition over an abortion, “… God brought us back to life. It was so easy, so simple to return to God’s grace, I could hardly believe myself deserving of it.”

Jesus said to Simon Peter, “He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet” but reminds him that not all are clean. (Jn. 13:10) There are those who betray Christ daily in killing the unborn, the sick and the elderly either directly or by complicity. They need to be washed, and we are told by our Lord who has washed our feet, so we “also ought to wash one another’s feet,” to witness to those most in need, to bring the truth in charity to them. For the common thread of all of these testimonies to life is that someone served them-“washed their feet- speaking of a forgiveness and newness. So easy, so simple that we can hardly believe it.