Please read the Scripture passage before the homily.
There was tension in the early Church. The Church had deep Jewish roots, but had welcomed Gentiles into itself. Some questions had arisen, such as the need for circumcision and dietary problems.
Should Gentiles be required to be circumcised before becoming Christian? Can we allow Gentiles to eat pork while Jewish people could not? Some adamantly favored making the Gentiles receive circumcision and obey Jewish dietary laws. Others strongly refused to require circumcision and dietary restrictions.
So, “fourteen years ago”, Paul and Barnabas made the trip to Jerusalem, the mother church, to look into the matter. The result was a decision not to require circumcision or dietary laws.
Note that that meeting in Jerusalem did not forbid circumcision or dietary laws. Should some desire circumcision or want to observe dietary laws they could do so.. It simply said that neither was required of Gentile converts. It did not forbid people to receive circumcision or give up their dietary practices.
The meeting of Paul with the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem was to resolves serious issues. It required that the people listen to each other politely and respectfully despite the emotions involved with the issues at table. In the end, all came to understand that the Holy Spirit had been involved in the deliberations and resulting decision.
We have two major political parties in the United States. Neither follows the teachings of the Church completely. We all need to respect each other as we move forward in the political processes that lead to our elections and legislative and judicial decisions.
There still tensions in the Church and tensions in our political lives. We need to follow the example of the early Church.