When Jesus sent his disciples to evangelize the world, he did not give them detailed instructions about dealing with Gentile converts. Acts 10 shows how God guided Peter to a realization that salvation was for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Acts 11, which we read today, deals with the consequences of Peter's act of receiving a Roman centurion, Cornelius, and his family into the Church.

Luke writes a somewhat idealistic picture of the early church, yet this picture is based on certain facts. Historically, other Christians may have accepted Gentiles into the Church earlier than Peter, as Luke may indicate when he speaks of the Church in Antioch (Acts 11:19-21). However Luke pays greater attention to Peter's reception of the Gentiles since Jesus had chosen him to be the rock on which the Church is built. The fact that Peter was guided by a vision and so baptized Cornelius was of profound significance. The Church is infallible but is not guided by visions like Peter: the Church through the ages relies on the grace of God to discern the unfolding wisdom of the Gospel through experiences which are often painful.