A close relative of mine, while on pilgrimage in France, attended Mass in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. She knelt right in front of the altar. She told me, "I thought I was in heaven." Yes, we as believing members of the Church, make up heaven on earth. We are the living, loving Body of Christ destined for and moving towards glory. Even in an extremity of danger and persecution we would still be Heaven on Earth!

The first reading is a very short excerpt taken from the deliberations of the crucial Council of Jerusalem. It reminds us that, heavenly as the Church is, it is also earthly.

Disagreements, controversies and failures bear witness to the fact that we, members as we are of Christ's body, are still human.

It took all the powers of persuasion of Paul, Barnabas, Peter and James to ensure that entry to the Church was not made more difficult than necessary by a narrow and nostalgic insistence on a tradition, good in itself but unsuitable for a new surge towards people of goodwill who did yet not fully know God.

In moments of anxiety and uncertainty we can find strength in today's Gospel. Jesus is the living heart and mind who inspires our hearts and minds to be loving, courageous and heavenly, even though we are not quite yet the Church in glory.