B: 6th Sun of Easter (9 May 2021) - GOD OF IMPARTIALITY (Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48)

Many will be surprised to know that Cornelius, the one described in the Acts of the Apostles as a Roman centurion of the Italian cohort (10:1), is actually venerated as a saint in the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions. Even if our only source of evidence of his holiness is the accounts of Acts 10, they are more than enough to elevate him as a saint, who is also renowned to be the first Gentile to be officially converted to the Jesus-movement.

His conversion commenced after receiving a heavenly vision from an angel (v. 3), who instructed him to ask for Peter and be baptized. Peter was hesitant at first in receiving Cornelius as a convert of the faith (v. 17) for the main reason that he is a Roman soldier. Cornelius is obviously a non-Jew, being a military leader of the Roman legion. In general, Jews would harbor a deep-seated bias and prejudice against any Roman official. This animosity started as early as 63 BCE when Pompey fatefully invaded Jerusalem by surprise, making Palestine as a colony of Rome for the next centuries. Their anti-Roman sentiment had only escalated through the years due to many abuses and violence of the Roman soldiers against the Jews. The political control of Roman procurators of Judea only made matters worse as they would wantonly imprison, punish, and put to death any presumed offender of their law.

Pontius Pilate, for example, mercilessly ordered the execution of Galileans and mixed their very blood to their offerings (cf. Lk 13:1). Pilate is notorious for decisions like this that only inflicted more fear among the Jews. The historian Flavius Josephus claims that there were two other incidents where Pilate’s brutality was in full display. First, he ordered the slaughter of some Samaritans who rallied in Mt. Gerizim in search for the loss artifacts of Moses (Ant 18.86-87). Second, he killed those who protested against his illicit use of the temple treasury in his construction-expenses of an aqueduct (Ant 18:60-62). These two are only a portion of his ruthlessness since he also crucified thousands of Jewish criminals. Foremost among them is Jesus, who, though clearly innocent, was sentenced to death by Pilate (Jn 19:1-16). With this general portrait of viciousness, any Jew would certainly be afraid of the Romans. This fear is epitomized in the statement of the Sanhedrin: “If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation” (Jn 11:48).

Peter, in the narrative, surely could not forget the Roman terror he had witnessed all along. His three times denial of Jesus (Jn 18:15-18, 25-27) would suggest that he was certainly afraid of being captured by the Romans like Jesus. Now, having a Roman officer seeking repentance, baptism, and membership to their community is obviously very difficult. He probably asked: How can Jesus accept someone who was among those who crucified him to be one of his followers? But because of an earlier vision where he was told by a voice to eat even those considered unclean by the Jews (Acts 10:13), Peter went to Caesarea to meet Cornelius (v. 24). Despite his hesitancy, Peter learned to accept this Roman soldier while saying, “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality” (v. 34), immediately baptizing him and his household (v. 48).

Indeed, God shows no partiality since in the same way as the apostles received the Spirit (Acts 2), Cornelius and his companions received it and started to speak in tongues (Acts 10:44-45). As God equally allows both Jews and Gentiles to enter his fold, we are equally challenged to be impartial as much as possible in everything, accepting and being kind to anyone, be they of opposite belief, ethnicity, gender, ideology, social status, or viewpoints.

- Rex Fortes, CM