Passover meal at wifes Protestant church

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My wife is Protestant, and this year a Messanic Jew is coming to do an entire Passover meal with the church, and I attend her church out of respect. My question is it ok for me, a practicing Catholic, to attend such a service? I am fairly sure there will not be communion at the service, but I do know they look at the last Passover meal Jesus celebrated as the beginning of Communion.
 
=t68ware;6346424]My wife is Protestant, and this year a Messanic Jew is coming to do an entire Passover meal with the church, and I attend her church out of respect. My question is it ok for me, a practicing Catholic, to attend such a service? I am fairly sure there will not be communion at the service, but I do know they look at the last Passover meal Jesus celebrated as the beginning of Communion.
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SURE!

When I was teaching HS CCD, I was able twice to attend Sader Meals. It’s a beautiful and meaninful experience.

Shalom:D
 
I don’t see a reason why you couldn’t go. Seders are a Jewish tradition, not a Catholic one.

Just be aware that the a seder led by a Messianic Jew is likely going to have been Christianized in some way. I’ve been to seders led by Jews for Jesus myself, as well as seders at my former Protestant church that were put together by a Messianic Jew who was a member of that church. These types of seders definitely can have many Jewish elements, but are not identical to the kind done on Passover by “regular” Jews (IOW, Jews who don’t believe Jesus is the Messiah). The latter lack the “Christianized” elements.

If you ever get the chance, you might check out a “regular” seder sometime to see the difference between the two.

Personally, I don’t go to these “Christian” seders anymore myself. I realize that the people running them/attending them mean well, but for reasons I can’t explain, to me they tend to come of as gimmicky and disrespectful. But for Christians without my Jewish background, it could be an entirely different thing from the way I experience it.

Enjoy!
 
you can go. but you should be a non participating visitor
sablouwho said:
I don’t see a reason why you couldn’t go. Seders are a Jewish tradition, not a Catholic one.

Just be aware that the a seder led by a Messianic Jew is likely going to have been Christianized in some way. I’ve been to seders led by Jews for Jesus myself, as well as seders at my former Protestant church that were put together by a Messianic Jew who was a member of that church. These types of seders definitely can have many Jewish elements, but are not identical to the kind done on Passover by “regular” Jews (IOW, Jews who don’t believe Jesus is the Messiah). The latter lack the “Christianized” elements.

If you ever get the chance, you might check out a “regular” seder sometime to see the difference between the two.

Personally, I don’t go to these “Christian” seders anymore myself. I realize that the people running them/attending them mean well, but for reasons I can’t explain, to me they tend to come of as gimmicky and disrespectful. But for Christians without my Jewish background, it could be an entirely different thing from the way I experience it.

Enjoy!
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t68ware said:
My wife is Protestant, and this year a Messanic Jew is coming to do an entire Passover meal with the church, and I attend her church out of respect. My question is it ok for me, a practicing Catholic, to attend such a service? I am fairly sure there will not be communion at the service, but I do know they look at the last Passover meal Jesus celebrated as the beginning of Communion.
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well I have a problem with a “full Passover meal” or seder celebrated outside a Jewish context, namely because our Jewish neighbors and rabbis where I used to live had a huge problem with it, and saw it as a mockery of their own religious traditions. In many dioceses Catholic parishes are discouraged if not forbidden from staging a seder for similar reasons. In effect we would be conducting a religious service of another Faith, which is something Catholics cannot do at all. Why not ask your own priest? Being invited by a Jewish family to join their seder would be an entirely different thing and perfectly acceptable.
 
t68ware said:
My wife is Protestant, and this year a Messanic Jew is coming to do an entire Passover meal with the church, and I attend her church out of respect. My question is it ok for me, a practicing Catholic, to attend such a service? I am fairly sure there will not be communion at the service, but I do know they look at the last Passover meal Jesus celebrated as the beginning of Communion.
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I’m pretty sure the Church said that attending Old Cov rituals is a mortal sin. They are incomplete. Why celebrate them when we have the real thing?
 
puzzleannie said:
well I have a problem with a “full Passover meal” or seder celebrated outside a Jewish context, namely because our Jewish neighbors and rabbis where I used to live had a huge problem with it, and saw it as a mockery of their own religious traditions. In many dioceses Catholic parishes are discouraged if not forbidden from staging a seder for similar reasons. In effect we would be conducting a religious service of another Faith, which is something Catholics cannot do at all. Why not ask your own priest? Being invited by a Jewish family to join their seder would be an entirely different thing and perfectly acceptable.
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I tend to agree, as I think I hinted at upthread. Even now as a believer in Christ, there is something about watching other Christians doing a seder that makes me cringe.
 
Innocent3 said:
I’m pretty sure the Church said that attending Old Cov rituals is a mortal sin. They are incomplete. Why celebrate them when we have the real thing?
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I guess what I am concerned about is that Messainic Jews look at all the elements of the Sedar as symblols of what Christ will accomplish, and if that is the case, I guess they will look at the bread and wine as mere symbols. The last time this was done, I was still Protestant and we didnt actually eat the bread or drink the wine, but since I am Catholic, should I even attend, let alone participate.
 
t68ware said:
I guess what I am concerned about is that Messainic Jews look at all the elements of the Sedar as symblols of what Christ will accomplish, and if that is the case, I guess they will look at the bread and wine as mere symbols. The last time this was done, I was still Protestant and we didnt actually eat the bread or drink the wine, but since I am Catholic, should I even attend, let alone participate.
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Ah, now your question is making more sense–it sounds like your concern is about eucharist. Maybe you should take to your priest?

What I can tell you is that it’s very odd to hear that the matzoh (I hope that they are using matzoh and not regular bread!) and wine was NOT consumed at the seder you attended. Eating the matzoh and drinking the wine is an integral part of a seder. The only thing I can think of is that maybe you went a seder “demonstration” rather than a real seder. 🤷
 
sablouwho said:
Ah, now your question is making more sense–it sounds like your concern is about eucharist. Maybe you should take to your priest?

What I can tell you is that it’s very odd to hear that the matzoh (I hope that they are using matzoh and not regular bread!) and wine was NOT consumed at the seder you attended. Eating the matzoh and drinking the wine is an integral part of a seder. The only thing I can think of is that maybe you went a seder “demonstration” rather than a real seder. 🤷
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Actually, now that you mention it and I think about it, we did sit at the tables and tasted all the elements of the Sedar while our guest explained the Old Testament meaning and how the Messanic Jews now see it, and we did eat the bread and taste the grape juice.
 
My former evangelical church did one of these with a messianic Jew once. It was very informative, but I didn’t get the sense that we were “actually” participating a Seder, as the elements were being explained as we went along. (Though we did get to taste everything–I remember really disliking the bitter herbs).

Actually, it felt sort of like the “Mass” we did one week in RCIA, where Father went through and explained all the elements, and why each thing went where. He showed us his vestments, let us see unconsecrated Hosts, and the vessels, and so on. It wasn’t actually a Mass at all, just a teaching opportunity. (And we did not ‘taste’ the Hosts, even unconsecrated, in case anyone asks.)

Of course, these aren’t usually presented as mere “teaching opportunities” but as actual Seders, so I can see why Jewish people would see them as a mockery. I wouldn’t want to participate in one again for that reason.
 
By attending you may find that you are brought to an understanding of the concept of Anmensis. Anmensis is a greek term (Greek was the primary language of most Jews outside of Israel at the time of Jesus, and the educated jews in Israel. Don’t forget St. Paul a Jew, was also a Roman Citizen, who was educated and therefore spoke Greek.) At the Seder you are reminded that those who participate in the Seder are to consider that they too came out of Egypt, and admonished that they should not consider it something that happened to someone else at some other time. Anmensis is not a simple rememberance of something, but a re-calling from another time into the present time an event.

While Protestants misunderstand the Anmensis that Jesus commands at the Last Supper, as a simple rememberance of Him. When I converted from Judaism to the Catholic Faith, it was easy to believe in the Eucharist, as Jesus commanded that we do the same thing as is instructed in the Seder, that we are to consider that we too are at the table of the Last Supper, that we too are at the Sacrifice of the Cross, that we too see His Body and Blood. Once I recognized Him to be True God and True man, I knew from a lifetime of Seders what He had done and continues to do.
 
“While Protestants misunderstand …” I doubt very highly that you are an authority on Protestanism. Please keep your answers pro-Catholic, not anti-whatever. May I remind you that the Forum Rules and Policies say: “Since our common goal is to get to heaven, when disagreements result from our discussions our guide will be charity.” I guess what I’m asking you is not to start disagreements, please.
 
wildrumpus said:
“While Protestants misunderstand …” I doubt very highly that you are an authority on Protestanism. Please keep your answers pro-Catholic, not anti-whatever. May I remind you that the Forum Rules and Policies say: “Since our common goal is to get to heaven, when disagreements result from our discussions our guide will be charity.” I guess what I’m asking you is not to start disagreements, please.
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It is also a forum policy that we do not revive two year old threads.
(By the way, there is nothing uncharitable in saying that Protestants are wrong on points of doctrine where they disagree with Catholics.)
 
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