The prayers of Hebrew Catholics

[Sojourner]

NEW YORK -- It's hard for Roy Schoeman to share his faith without
mentioning Abraham, his son Isaac and a sacrificial altar on Mount Moriah.

This story from Genesis is a cornerstone of the Jewish faith in which he
was raised and educated, the son of Jews who escaped the Holocaust and
came to America. But this familiar passage -- with its covenant between
God and Abraham's children -- also is crucial to his testimony as a
convert to Roman Catholicism.

For Schoeman, these faiths cannot be pried apart.

"If Christianity was meant for anyone it was meant for the Jews," he said
at a gathering of the Association of Hebrew Catholics. Thus, the Catholic
faith "is Judaism as it was defined by God Incarnate, Jesus Christ. ... He
did not come to bring Christianity to the gentiles and leave the Jews
alone."

The Palm Sunday-weekend conference was held at Sts. Cyril and Methodius
Church, not far from Times Square. It drew more than 100 Catholics from
across the nation and overseas, including a core group of converted Jews.

Some in the audience shed tears as Schoeman emotionally offered a prayer
for the conversion of his own mother. They murmured "amen," as he read the
biblical account of Abraham preparing to sacrifice "his only son," until
being stopped by an angel who said God would provide a lamb. Because
Abraham was willing to surrender his son, God said: "I will indeed bless
you and I will multiply your descendents as the stars of heaven. ... And
by your descendents shall all the nations bless themselves, because you
have obeyed my voice."

Surely this prophecy foreshadows the life and sacrifice of Jesus, said
Schoeman, a former Harvard Business School professor who now focuses his
studies on theology. This is why Hebrew Christians insist that conversion
does not destroy Jewish identity, but "fulfills it," "completes it" and
even "crowns it."

It would be hard to craft a statement that would be more offensive to
millions of religious and secular Jews.

However, leaders of the Association of Hebrew Catholics spend as much, or
more, time addressing the beliefs of Catholics who say the Second Vatican
Council teaches that Jews can "be saved" without embracing Jesus. This
division in Catholic ranks has affected many public debates, from clashes
about the goals of Jewish-Christian dialogues to the content of Mel
Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ."

The conflict intensified in 2002 when a study committee linked to the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, working with National Council of
Synagogues, released a set of theological reflections that inspired blunt
headlines. The Washington Post went with "Catholics Reject Evangelization
of Jews," while Christianity Today offered " Jews Are Already Saved, Say
U.S. Catholic Bishops."

The document argued that while the "Catholic Church regards the saving act
of Christ as central to the process of human salvation for all, it also
acknowledges that Jews already dwell in a saving covenant with God." Thus,
the unique Jewish witness to God's kingdom "must not be curtailed by
seeking the conversion of the Jewish people to Christianity."

Cardinal Avery Dulles of Fordham University was one of many rejecting this
text as a statement of Catholic teaching.

"Peter on Pentecost Sunday declared that the whole house of Israel should
know for certain that Jesus is Lord and Messiah and that every one of his
hearers should be baptized in Jesus' name," wrote Dulles, in America
magazine. "Paul spent much of his ministry proclaiming the Gospel to Jews
throughout the Diaspora. Distressed by their incredulity, he was prepared
to wish himself accursed for the sake of their conversion."

The problem is that progressive elements inside Judaism and Catholicism
are striving to "redefine both of these faiths," said David Moss,
president of the Hebrew Catholic association. Thus, most mainstream Jewish
leaders are convinced that the Vatican has officially changed its doctrine.

"The truth is that Catholicism teaches that there is only one path to
salvation and that is through Jesus Christ," said Moss. "Now how does that
salvation happen for individual people? That's up to God. He's in charge,
not us. ...

"But there is nothing in Vatican II that says Catholics are not supposed
to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to his own people."

[Aloysius]

This is one of the cases when "being nice" turns into being UNCHARITABLE. Do we not have enough love for the Jewish People to want them to convert to Christ?

[james]

[quote name='Aloysius' date='Mar 28 2005, 12:50 PM'] This is one of the cases when "being nice" turns into being UNCHARITABLE.  Do we not have enough love for the Jewish People to want them to convert to Christ? [/quote]

Your point is well made.

However, I personally see these ecumenical distortions of church teaching to be more than just "playing nice." It is caving in to the pressure of Jewish power politics organizations who seek these changes in Catholic teaching.

Is it logical that the body of Christ would propagate teaching that diminishes the salvific mission of Christ? Is it logical that the Apostles who had the Holy Spirit and who were martyred while preaching conversion to Jews were wrong or foolish to do so?

When faced with a crisis of this nature we must always ask. Cui bono? Who benefits?

Edited March 29, 2005 by james