Cardinal Cupich: ‘Evangelization’ doesn’t mean converting Jews to Catholicism

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I do not agree with Cardinal Cupich on every single thing he ever said, but I am not going to trust a LifeSiteNews hit piece on him as it’s pretty clear they are out to get him and will bias their coverage against him.

Granted, I read this really quick before coffee, but I am not seeing anything horrible that Cupich said here. I don’t know anybody from any religion, Catholic or not, who supports proselytizing. I don’t run around trying to convert people unless they genuinely show themselves open to the idea. Neither do I tell them that they have to be Catholic in order to be saved, as that is inconsistent with the Catechism as well as being rude and in view of God’s mercy, probably wrong.

Neither do we support anti-semitism. There has been a resurgence of anti-semitism lately and I just read an article that said younger people are losing the awareness/ memory of the Holocaust, plus Cupich is speaking at a synagogue, so I can totally see him making these sorts of remarks.

I find the LifeSiteNews approach to the coverage of this topic to be far more annoying than the fact that Cupich made this speech. The fact that the particular synagogue states that it is “LGBTQ”-friendly has absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand and was obviously included just to get those people who don’t like Cupich anyway even more riled up.
 
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Jesus answered and spoke again in parables to them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come. Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast!”’ But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise, and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. "Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.’ Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness; there is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’ For many are called, but few chosen.”
— Matthew 22:1-14

Seems pretty clear cut.

The Jews were the original invitees. They rejected God’s invitation, so God sent his servants out to invite everyone.

Of course the Jews still have an invitation, but they’re still rejecting it by not accepting Christ.

The Parables of Christ Part X: Parable of the Great Feast

The parable, which is divided into two parts, illustrates in its first part that the Jews who had spurned the divine invitation were rejected in favor of the Gentiles. In the second part it demonstrates that the condition of holiness is necessary for entrance into eternal life.
fssp.com fssp.com

“The parable, which is divided into two parts, illustrates in its first part that the Jews who had spurned the divine invitation were rejected in favor of the Gentiles. In the second part it demonstrates that the condition of holiness is necessary for entrance into eternal life.”
 
This is something I’ve been very upset with. It may be a form of “identity politics” if you will, but I’m half Jewish and had very much of a somewhat cultural Jewish upbringing.

I have been working very hard to create relations with other Jews to evangelize to them and bring them into the fullness of the Catholic faith.

When we begin to treat Rabbinic Judaism (Judaism today) as being OK with God, then we are saying that it is OK for Jews to reject Christ. This is direct heresy and should not be welcomed at all.

Rabbinic Judaism is not the same as Biblical Judaism. Rabbinic Judaism (today’s Judaism) rejects Christ very directly and explicitly. This is a problem.

I remember seeing this from Cdl. Cupich and it undermines so much effort those of us who have a heart for the Jews to become Catholic.
 
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I think you as a half-Jewish person with a Jewish upbringing are in a much better position to build bridges and evangelize than the average person in the Catholic pew who comes at it from a standpoint of “Jews reject Christ and therefore are going to Hell”, which unfortunately is what you get from a lot of people. Just look around at some of the other posts on CAF where people basically say that even Protestants are not headed to heaven, much less non-Christians.

We have to accept that God and God alone is going to determine if each specific person is “OK” with him, and that He does this on a person-by-person basis, and that we do not know everything that goes on the person’s head or what God will do in a specific case. We can definitely say that the path to salvation is through Christ and try to lead people that way. In the case where they reject Christ all through their lives, they may very well get a chance to accept him at the point of their death, so we should be working to put the idea of a loving Jesus in their head so they’ll be ready.

I wouldn’t worry too much about this inflammatory article. Just keep on doing what you’re doing, it sounds like you are on the right track, especially since you are working to “create relations” with Jewish people and have a good grounding in Jewish culture, so you’re not just barging in telling them they better become Catholic if they want to be saved.
 
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Well the article unfortunately is accurate. This is what Cupich has indeed said in public interviews, and I think it’s wrong.

We can’t decide on the fate of everyone for certain, but we can say where people may be in danger.

While some may claim they know exactly what will happen to every individual when of course we can’t say that, my experience with many other Catholics is that they give Jews a sort of get-out-of-jail card as if they are in a state of grace to the same effect a Catholic is who has just confessed his sins and received absolution.

It is dangerous because it now means the Jews have no need for conversion when of course they do. Most Jews (at least in the West) don’t even practice Judaism and have become secularized so much to the point that a high percentage don’t even accept God as being real.

We as Catholics should be very careful I think when it comes to participation of Jewish religious ceremonies like sedar meals and even genuinely ask “Am I violating the first commandment.” Even though Biblical Jews celebrated it, and rightfully so, this may now be a celebration of Rabbinic Judaism which is not the mother religion of Christianity – it is rather the jealous step-sister.

The Jews, like anyone else, absolutely requires evangelization with the hope that they will indeed convert.
 
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gcshapero said:
This is what Cupich has indeed said in public interviews, and I think it’s wrong.
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I’ve disagreed with Cupich’s position on things in the past also, so I understand your thinking. Cardinal Cupich is not infallible and Cardinals say wrong things or go down the wrong track sometimes.

I doubt that many Jewish people will actually hear about this though or be particularly moved by it when compared to hearing from an actual person with Jewish background such as yourself.
 
I think you’re right. Jews will likely not hear these words from Cdl. Cupich. That said, Catholics will and have, and they may get the wrong impression. I think many have already even prior to his words.

I want so badly for the Jews to come to Christ – they would have such a powerful understanding of the sacraments from where old Jewish rituals came into fruition.

But it does mean being honest about where they are and that they are indeed in error.
 
Think how many Jewish people may come to Christ, even at the moment of death, from what you are doing now to bring Christ to them.

There is a story about a Muslim who was dying in hospital and right before he died the nurse saw him sit up and say, “I love you Jesus Christ!” and then died right away.

I imagine it happens like that with a lot of people if they were properly put in the right frame of mind here on earth to accept Christ when they saw Him in all His glory at their death.
 
That’s EXACTLY what it means. Pope Pius XII, who I love, did CHANGE a Good Friday prayer speaking to exactly this issue. The Jews didn’t like that prayer; it had been a part of Holy Week Liturgy for many years. Pope Pius XII reign ended in 1958 (I think).
 
JanSobieskiIII said:
Jesus answered and spoke again in parables to them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come. Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the marriage feast!”’ But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise, and the rest grabbed his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. "Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.’ Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness; there is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.’ For many are called, but few chosen.”
— Matthew 22:1-14

Seems pretty clear cut.

The Jews were the original invitees. They rejected God’s invitation, so God sent his servants out to invite everyone.

Of course the Jews still have an invitation, but they’re still rejecting it by not accepting Christ.

The Parables of Christ Part X: Parable of the Great Feast - Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

“The parable, which is divided into two parts, illustrates in its first part that the Jews who had spurned the divine invitation were rejected in favor of the Gentiles. In the second part it demonstrates that the condition of holiness is necessary for entrance into eternal life.”
Click to expand...
This parable is directed at every human being, not just the Jews.
Jesus is speaking to his own people in this parable. We are his own people.
 
It’s clearly talking about the chosen people rejecting their king and the king in turn taking all comers who have the proper attire to be in his presence. Reinterpreting it is just ecumenical feel good stuff.
 
JanSobieskiIII said:
It’s clearly talking about the chosen people rejecting their king and the king in turn taking all comers who have the proper attire to be in his presence. Reinterpreting it is just ecumenical feel good stuff.
Click to expand...
Really? It makes you feel good?
It disturbs me. In a good conversion kinda way.
 
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No, interpreting your way is ecumenical feel good don’t offend the Jews stuff.

I’m reading it the way it was interpreted prior, and cited a source backing my statement up from FSSP.
 
  1. NO, I don’t want to offend Jews. Do you take issue with that?
  2. I didn’t dispute your interpretation, I merrely pointed out that all of the Scriptures are also alive and sharper than a two edged sword for all of us, the living. The Scriptures don’t merely apply to first century Jews.
    Are you disputing that?
What are you disputing here?
 
goout said:
NO, I don’t want to offend Jews. Do you take issue with that?
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I certainly don’t wish to offend them, but if they take offense with the truth that is their problem not mine.

I take issue with your insistence that this parable isn’t directly related to the Jews rejection of Christ and couple that with the Cdl.'s comments that we shouldn’t attempt to convert Jews to Catholicism.
 
gcshapero said:
I want so badly for the Jews to come to Christ – they would have such a powerful understanding of the sacraments from where old Jewish rituals came into fruition.
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Yes! This brings to mind the words of St. Paul in the Epistle to the Romans 9-11:




1
  • Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on their behalf is for salvation.a
    2
    I testify with regard to them that they have zeal for God, but it is not discerning.b
    3
    For, in their unawareness of the righteousness that comes from God and their attempt to establish their own [righteousness], they did not submit to the righteousness of God.c
    4
    For Christ is the end* of the law for the justification of everyone who has faith.d
5
  • Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from [the] law, “The one who does these things will live by them.”e
    6
    But the righteousness that comes from faith says,f “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down)
    7
  • or ‘Who will go down into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”g
    8
    But what does it say?
    “The word is near you,
    in your mouth and in your heart”h
    (that is, the word of faith that we preach),
    9
    for, if you confess* with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.i
    10
    For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
    11
    For the scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.”j
    12
    For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him.k
    13
    For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”l
    14
  • But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?m
    15
    And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written,n “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring [the] good news!”*
    16
    But not everyone has heeded the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?”o
    17
    Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.p
    18
    But I ask, did they not hear? Certainly they did; for
    “Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
    and their words to the ends of the world.”q
    19
    But I ask, did not Israel understand?r First Moses says:
    “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
    with a senseless nation I will make you angry.”
    20
    s Then Isaiah speaks boldly and says:
    “I was found [by] those who were not seeking me;
    I revealed myself to those who were not asking for me.”
    21
    But regarding Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contentious people.”
3 whole chapters on this!!! If St. Paul took that much time to talk about his people, you KNOW it’s gotta mean something!

Yep! Yep! Yep!
 
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