October 9, 2004.

Wednesday of the 27th week in ordinary time.

A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Galatians.

Brothers and sisters,

After 14 years, I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas taking Titus along also. I went up in accord with a revelation,

and I presented to them the gospel that I preached to the Gentiles, but privately to those of

repute, so that I might not be running or have run in vain. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised,

just as Peter to the circumcised, for the one who worked in Peter for an apostolate to the

circumcised, worked also in me for the Gentiles, and when they recognized the grace bestowed upon me,

James and Sifas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave me and Bonobus their right hands

in partnership that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

Only we were to be mindful of the poor, which is the very thing I was eager to do.

And when Seafas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.

For unto some people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles,

but when they came he began to draw back and separated himself

because he was afraid of the circumcised.

And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, with the result that even

Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.

But when I saw that they were not on the right road in line with the truth of the gospel, I said

to Seafas in front of all,

If you, though a Jew, are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew,

how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

...