Today we read the ending of John's Gospel. The writer tells us that "there are still many other things that Jesus did; if all were written down, the world itself, I suppose, would not hold all the books that would have to be written."

Jesus did not teach his disciples in detail how to deal with every question of faith and morality which would arise in the Church in the ages after his Ascension. Thus, the early Church itself had to decide whether Gentiles had to keep the Mosaic Law in order to become Christians. Paul held the view that they did not while others inclined to the view that the Old Testament was binding on all. The social conditions of the early Jerusalem community, with Jews and Greek-speaking Gentiles, inspired the Apostles, to appoint deacons. The reality is that Jesus, in union with the Father, sent the Holy Spirit to guide us into the truth. We must keep listening to the Spirit and discern how best to apply the teaching of Jesus which we actually possess to the realities of life. This is often a painful process and can cause deep divisions in the Church, as history has shown and still continues to show.