Peter's Prudence

Usually, we have the impression that Peter was the Apostle Jesus sent to the Jews and Paul to the Gentiles. This impression is further reinforced by a quotation from the Epistle to the Galatians.
for he who worked through Peter for the mission to the circumcised worked through me also for the Gentiles (Galatians 2:8)
Remember, this is only the perspective seen from Paul, and very likely an early Paul. Indeed, Paul himself did not preach exclusively to Gentiles. Usually, he began preaching among the Jews and when he was rejected by the Jews, he turned to the Gentiles.
In the case of Peter, he began in Jerusalem and the audience was naturally Jews. Peter managed to stay in Jerusalem in the early waves of persecution. Therefore, it was natural to see him as the Apostle to the Jews. However, when Peter had to flee for his life, he had to turn to Gentiles as well. Church tradition has Peter as the founder of the Church in Rome. Therefore, the impression mentioned above is not quite right.
In fact, according to Acts, Peter was the first to admit Gentiles into the early Church. Today, we read of Peter's defence of the admission of Gentiles into the early Church in Acts 11. He was criticized by the so called "circumcision party" within the Church (Acts 11:2). They were probably the same group of people whom Paul mentioned in the Epistle to the Galatians. These people insisted on imposing circumcision on Gentiles as a requirement for the admission into the Church. These Jews held on to the faith in the Old Testament that circumcision was the sign of covenant between God and the Chosen People. Without circumcision, how could people be saved? Peter refuted them.
In Acts 10, a Roman centurion called Cornelius had a vision of an angel who instructed him to send for Peter in Joppa (Acts 10:3-8). At noon the next day in Joppa, Peter was praying and had a vision. Similar to the conversion of Saul, this vision is reported twice by Luke. See the table below.

Acts 10:10-16	Acts 11:5-10
he fell into a trance	"I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision (11:5a)
and saw the heaven opened, and something descending, like a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth.	something descending, like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came down to me. (11:5b)
In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air.	Looking at it closely I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air.
And there came a voice to him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat."	And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'
But Peter said, "No, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean."	But I said, 'No, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'
And the voice came to him again a second time, "What God has cleansed, you must not call common."	But the voice answered a second time from heaven, 'What God has cleansed you must not call common.'
This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.	This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven.

Peter was prudent enough to bring along six brethren from Joppa to bear him witness (Acts 10:23, 11:12).
Truly, even when we are in the right, we should proceed with prudence. Otherwise, good things would easily turn bad. St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1019-1153) is believed to have said that hell is full of good intentions.
When the Holy Spirit descended on these Gentiles even before they received baptism, the Jewish believers accompanied Peter were amazed. Then Peter declared the following.
"Can any one forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" (Acts 10:46b-47)
Peter was decisive at this crucial moment. Had he been hesitant or timid, the Church would have been very different now.
When Peter had to defend his position before the "circumcision party", the witnesses accompanying him would not be forceful enough to convince them. Those party members did not see the Holy Spirit descending for themselves. Peter needed to call up a higher authority. Peter said.
And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' (Acts 11:16)
Jesus told the apostles this before his ascension (Acts 1:5). At the home of Cornelius, the Holy Spirit was present. Peter did not need to conjure any higher authority. Back in Jerusalem, before this bunch of stubborn Jews, Peter needed to do so.
So, Peter successfully justified himself in baptizing the Gentiles, in admitting them into the Church. The Church became catholic. According to Acts, Peter was the first to preach to Gentiles.

Dear Jesus, my students will sit for the HKCEE Religious Studies exam tomorrow. I pray for them. Enlighten them of Your teachings. Guide their hands in answering the questions. May they achieve good results for Your glory. Amen.