There was a good deal of controversy over the old "Prayer for the Jews" in the 1962 Rite's Good Friday service. The prayer referred to the "blindness" of the Jews while praying for their conversion.
So Pope Benedict re-wrote the prayer.
Here's the new text:
Oremus et pro Iudaeis. Ut Deus et Dominus noster illuminet corda eorum, ut agnoscant Iesum Christum salvatorem omnium hominum
"....illuminate their hearts that they may recognize Jesus Christ as the Savior of all mankind."
Didn't exactly draw bouquets from some Jewish folks, either.
"We're disappointed. We were expecting language that would make room for the integrity of Jewish faith in its own right. Obviously, Benedict is not able to do this in terms of his theological outlook — unlike his predecessors," said Rabbi David Rosen, director of interreligious affairs for the American Jewish Committee and head of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations, engaged in ongoing dialogue with the Vatican.
Abraham Foxman, national director of the New York-based Anti-Defamation League, said that he was "deeply troubled" that the intention to petition God for Jews to accept Jesus as Lord was kept intact.
But the Rev. James Massa, executive director for interreligious affairs for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Wednesday that the prayer should be understood in the essential Catholic view that "all people come to salvation through Jesus Christ. This is not going to go away."
Unmentioned, but a VERY big part of the discussion, is the term "supercessionism," which (roughly) postulates that the Catholic Church is the fulfillment of the Old Law/Old Testament; that is, that Salvation has, indeed, come from the Jews and they should recognize Him.
Those meshugenah Iudaeis! Why won't they willingly bend down for the yoke of Rome?
ReplyDeleteOh, please, John. Give me a break.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to take you seriously when you spout off nonsense like that.
It's a prayer, not a fatwa, and Rome has recognized our relationship with the Jews and honors them as the first recipients of God's word. There is respect there.
I regularly pray for the conversion of souls. But I cannot possibly explain that to you because you would *never* understand why.
Mashuganah or not, they don't like the implications.
ReplyDeleteI pray for YOU, John...
The new prayer is basically a reiteration of St. Paul's prayer for the Jews to come to Christ.
ReplyDeleteIt is a part of our faith.
Not that I'm looking for a quid pro quo, but wouldn't these same people be screaming at us to mind our business if we criticized something in their prayers that we found offensive?
"they don't like the implications"
ReplyDeleteImplications? Should be about premises, see 1 Corinthians 15:14 and 20.