New prayer for conversion of the Jews in the Extraordinary Form

[japhy]

From tomorrow’s L’Osservatore Romano:

Con riferimento alle disposizioni contenute nel Motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum”, del 7 luglio 2007, circa la possibilità di usare l’ultima stesura del Missale Romanum, anteriore al Concilio Vaticano II, pubblicata nel 1962 con l’autorità del beato Giovanni XXIII, il Santo Padre Benedetto XVI ha disposto che l’Oremus et pro Iudaeis della Liturgia del Venerdì Santo contenuto in detto Missale Romanum sia sostituito con il seguente testo:

Oremus et pro Iudaeis
Ut Deus et Dominus noster illuminet corda eorum, ut agnoscant Iesum Christum salvatorem omnium hominum.
Oremus. Flectamus genua. Levate.
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui vis ut omnes homines salvi fiant et ad agnitionem veritatis veniant, concede propitius, ut plenitudine gentium in Ecclesiam Tuam intrante omnis Israel salvus fiat. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Tale testo dovrà essere utilizzato, a partire dal corrente anno, in tutte le Celebrazioni della Liturgia del Venerdì Santo con il citato Missale Romanum.
Dal Vaticano, 4 febbraio 2008.

Coverage on Rorate Caeli and The New Liturgical Movement. Fr. Z doesn’t have anything on it yet.

 

[Dale_M]

Here is the translation which the New Liturgical Movement website provides:
(thanks for the link, Japhy)

Note by the Secretariat of State:

With reference to the dispositions contained in the Motu Proprio “Summorum Pontificum” of 7 July 2007, regarding the possibility to use the last version of the Missale Romanum prior to the II Vatican Council, published in 1962 by authority of Blessed John XXIII, the Holy Father Benedict XVI has decided that the Oremus et pro Judæis of the liturgy of Good Friday contained in said Missale Romanum be substituted by the following text:

Let us also pray for the Jews: That our God and Lord may enlighten their hearts, that they acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Saviour of all men. Let us pray. Let us bend our knees. Rise. Almighty and eternal God, who want that all men be saved and attain the knowledge of the truth, propitiously grant that as the fulness of the Gentiles enters Thy Church, all Israel be saved. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

This text must be used, beginning in the current year, in all celebrations of the Liturgy of Good Friday according to the said Missale Romanum.

From the Vatican, 4 February 2008

 

[Charlesartiste]

I have no personal problem with the revision.
Unfortunately, the head of the ADL and others will continue to bellow ‘antisemitism’ etc. etc. etc. Christ’s commission to the Church was to go forth and preach the Gospel. Within that commission is the idea of coversion. Do the ADL bunch and others want the Roman Catholic Church to fail in the commission given to it over two thousand years ago? After all this prayer is a prayer offered in love not hate. Please pray for the Pope and the Church. May they stand firm in the Traditions of the Church and hold firmly the commission given to the Church.
Pax Vobiscum!

 

[japhy]

I have no personal problem with the revision.
Unfortunately, the head of the ADL and others will continue to bellow ‘antisemitism’ etc. … After all this prayer is a prayer offered in love not hate. Please pray for the Pope and the Church. May they stand firm in the Traditions of the Church and hold firmly the commission given to the Church.

I for one am pleased that the ADL and Jewish leaders recognize that this prayer still calls for their conversion. The 1970 prayer was a bad move… it was just too ambiguous and has set up nearly 40 years of incorrect thinking (and theology).

 

[Dale_M]

No one is bellowing “antisemitism”, but there does seem to be some damage to our interreligious relationship.

Vatican’s Jewish Partners Express Deep Regret over Latin Liturgy

The International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations expressed its deep regret and disappointment that the new text of the Prayer for the Jews in the Catholic Church’s Latin rite, prays for the salvation of the Jews exclusively through the acceptance of Christian Faith.

“We had hoped that the prayer in the Latin rite would be the same as that of the universal Catholic liturgy in use since 1970,” declared Rabbi David Rosen, Chair of IJCIC. He added, “This new version for the Latin rite appears to be a regression from the path advanced by the declaration of the second Vatican Council. We urge the Catholic Church to deepen its exploration of the full implications of Nostra Aetate’s affirmation of the eternal validity of God’s Divine Covenant with the Jewish People.”

The International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC) is a coalition of Jewish organizations representing world Jewry to other world religious bodies and is the formal Jewish partner of the Vatican.

 

[john1863]

No one is bellowing “antisemitism”, but there does seem to be some damage to our interreligious relationship.

Agreed Dale,

And, correct me if I’m wrong, one of the strengths of our Church has been to evolve.

John

 

[RomanCrusader]

I wish we had kept it the way it was. We should not alter our faith because of Jewish pressure. I can understand why many Jews disliked the language used in that prayer, but we cannot just give in to them. Give in once and it will become a habit.

However, this new prayer is fine. Hopefully now the miserable apostates at the ADL will crawl back under their rock and leave us alone.

Actually, nevermind. The ADL is still crying a river:

adl.org/PresRele/VaticanJewish_96/5220_96.htm

 

[japhy]

No one is bellowing “antisemitism”, but there does seem to be some damage to our interreligious relationship.

And, correct me if I’m wrong, one of the strengths of our Church has been to evolve.

The Church grows organically, yes. But, as G.K. Chesterton said, we don’t need a Church that moves with the world, we need a Church that moves the world.

The Church cannot say to the Jews “you don’t need Christ”. That’s not the mission God gave the Church, to deny His Son to people! The Jews – or, to be more precise, their “spokesmen” and the ADL – will never like the prayer until it becomes more ambiguous than the 1970 prayer. They want the Church to pray that God will accept the Jews for being Jews and leave Jesus “Christ” out of the picture.

 

[Charlesartiste]

his is a response  from another believer but I believe it does contain a line of truth.

It’s unfortunate that outside pressure groups nit-picked the Pope to make this revision to an ancient prayer that is said only 1x a year!
Now they’re faultfinding the revision.
Now they’ll demand a revision of the revision.
If I’m not mistaken, Jewish prayers have insulting passages towards people who are not Jewish…more than 1 prayer.
Should all Christians gang up on the Jews and pressure them to remove the insulting references towards non-Jews?

I also read:
We cannot compromise the faith. G.K. Chesterton did write that the Church must not be moved by the World. The World must be moved by the Church. Do we pray that unbelievers find the Love of Christ? Yes! The original prayer nor this revision is a prayer of hatred.

Laudetur Jesus Christus

 

[Kaninchen]

If I’m not mistaken, Jewish prayers have insulting passages towards people who are not Jewish…more than 1 prayer.
Should all Christians gang up on the Jews and pressure them to remove the insulting references towards non-Jews?

Could you cite those passages?

By the way, I’m Jewish but I don’t find the conversion prayer insulting - amusing but not insulting.

 

[Biblioassistant]

I think the Pope’s revision is fine. Leave it be and say it that way. Mr. Foxman and the ADL will get angry no matter what.

 

[Charlesartiste]

No one is bellowing “antisemitism”, but there does seem to be some damage to our interreligious relationship.

Vatican’s Jewish Partners Express Deep Regret over Latin Liturgy

Dale:
What does one have when one reads the tomes of out put by Abe Foxman? What is his primary goal? Why does his work exist?

If his goal is altruism and peaceful coexistence then God Bless Him. Intrusion into the affairs of the Vatican and Catholicism is not a minor thing. Peter has spoken.

One cannot be “outraged” at the Pope’s revision of the prayer and still practice saying the Hebrew prayer which thanks God Almighty they were not born a gentile or a non-Jew. This Hebrew prayer is recited daily by faithful Jewish believers.

Perhaps my use of the term “bellowing antisemetism” is too strong but a perusal of literature from the ADL and other Jewish groups would probably prove my point.

On top of this my emotional response is did not Jesus Christ provide the truth to Peter and the Church. And to lean on the biological ideal of living theology must be done with great care.
After all, cancer is a living growing thing too.

Good to read your thoughts gave me much to pray about and meditate over.

Benedicamus Domino!

 

[Charlesartiste]

Could you cite those passages?

By the way, I’m Jewish but I don’t find the conversion prayer insulting - amusing but not insulting.

thanks for the reply:
I am of Jewish heritage from a great grandmother. She use to pray a prayer everyday which said something similar to what was stated in my posting.

Glad that you are not offended.

God Bless!

 

[Kaninchen]

thanks for the reply:
I am of Jewish heritage from a great grandmother. She use to pray a prayer everyday which said something similar to what was stated in my posting.

Glad that you are not offended.

God Bless!

I think you rather misjudge the nature of the prayer she was saying - joy in the covenant and the obligations of the covenant, which she wouldn’t have if she wasn’t Jewish (since we don’t believe that non-Jews are, in some way, in a worse position than Jews).

 

[Charlesartiste]

I think you rather misjudge the nature of the prayer she was saying - joy in the covenant and the obligations of the covenant, which she wouldn’t have if she wasn’t Jewish (since we don’t believe that non-Jews are, in some way, in a worse position than Jews).

Your explanation is beautiful. I believe you have given a better answer to the Catholic prayer for conversion better than most here. Seems we share so much in the Covenant.

 

[japhy]

I think you rather misjudge the nature of the prayer she was saying - joy in the covenant and the obligations of the covenant, which she wouldn’t have if she wasn’t Jewish (since we don’t believe that non-Jews are, in some way, in a worse position than Jews).

What about the prayers mentioned by Fr. Z here?
One prayer observant Jews must pray is:

Baruch atah Hashem Elokenu melech haolam, shelo asani goy … Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who did not make me a Gentile.

The prayer is from a Tana’itic source and it is in Rabbinic rather than Biblical Hebrew. Goy means an individual Gentile. What is the context of this prayer for an observant Jewish man?

Siman 46:4: A person must say the Blessings shelo asani goy (Who did not make me a non-Jew), shelo asani aved (Who did not make me a slave), and shelo asani isha (Who did not make me a woman) every day.

 

[Dale_M]

Dale:
What does one have when one reads the tomes of out put by Abe Foxman? What is his primary goal? Why does his work exist?

Charlesartiste, I am sorry but I unfamiliar with both the writings and the work of Abe Foxman. I am aware, however, that several people here at CAF are unhappy with him.

The point I was trying to make in my last post simply is that the prayer does have an unfortunate cost. It seemed to be missing in the thread, so I thought it important to add.

Benedicamus Domino!

Yes, indeed! For the Lord has blessed us abundantly.

 

[mschrank]

I wish we had kept it the way it was. We should not alter our faith because of Jewish pressure. I can understand why many Jews disliked the language used in that prayer, but we cannot just give in to them. Give in once and it will become a habit.

However, this new prayer is fine. Hopefully now the miserable apostates at the ADL will crawl back under their rock and leave us alone.

Actually, nevermind. The ADL is still crying a river:

adl.org/PresRele/VaticanJewish_96/5220_96.htm

I agree. Ever since when do we give in to other religions?

 

[Kaninchen]

What about the prayers mentioned by Fr. Z here?
One prayer observant Jews must pray is:

Baruch atah Hashem Elokenu melech haolam, shelo asani goy … Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who did not make me a Gentile.

The prayer is from a Tana’itic source and it is in Rabbinic rather than Biblical Hebrew. Goy means an individual Gentile. What is the context of this prayer for an observant Jewish man?

Siman 46:4: A person must say the Blessings shelo asani goy (Who did not make me a non-Jew), shelo asani aved (Who did not make me a slave), and shelo asani isha (Who did not make me a woman) every day.

The clue is actually in the reference to ‘woman’. The ritual obligations on Jewish men are greater than on Jewish women (often it’s not that women can’t, it’s that women are not required to) and the man is expressing his joy at this (though I’m probably not the only one who thinks there’s an element of ‘yeh, thanks a lot’ in some cases - but I’m a Jewish female and allowed a little, shall we say, cynicism).

 

[Charlesartiste]

Italian Rabbinical Assembly: “Pause for reflection in the dialogue” with Catholics

I just read the above from a catholic source. It saddens me because I believe the sensitivities are sincere but the reactions are overstated and unreasonable.

The prayers express Charity for an entire people with a desire of only the best for the entire people. The desire is the choicest blessings and gifts of God. How else is a believer in Jesus Christ suppose to pray? It is a wish for all of humanity to share what has been given to Christian people.

As stated in a catholic newspaper: In a world of suicide bombers, bloody civil wars, genocide, slavery, and more frequent natural diasters, do we not have things of greater import over which to concern outselves than contend over this one prayer?

I pray sensitivities will calm and sincere dialogue resume ASAP.

Kyrie eleison