Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 393

I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath."

For the past few months I have been reading and discussing with two Bible study groups Saint Paul's Epistle to the Romans. By general agreement it is the most important of his writings, and his letters are a huge part of the New Testament. 

There's no doubt in my mind that Jesus came, as he said, not to cancel the Law of Moses, but to fulfill it. However, I wonder if Saint Paul sometimes hoped to reform Judaism. He was driven by an insight into the Gospel, his commission to the entire world, and his grief that many devout Jew preferred the familiar Pharisaic reading of Moses. They could not accept the radical, unfamiliar freedom of the children of God as he described it.   

When he read the Hebrew Scriptures, he saw in every command and precept, every story and parable, every canticle and psalm the Word of God taking flesh in the person of Jesus. And he had a very hard time being reconciled to the fact that many devout Jews did not, despite his persistent arguing and persuasive reasoning. Nor did his cheerful confidence amid many severe trials move them to reconsider. 

He seemed to arrive at some peace of mind toward the end of the eleventh chapter, when he wrote: 

"...a hardening has come upon Israel in part, until the full number of the Gentiles comes in.... (vs 25)."  And, 

"Just as you once disobeyed God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now disobeyed in order that, by virtue of the mercy shown to you, they too may [now] receive mercy. For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all. (vss 30-31).

In his second chapter to the Romans, the Apostle had revealed the abominable state of gentile who do not know the Lord. He saw that an opening to gentile had been created by Jewish reluctance to recognize Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah. And many gentiles were streaming through that mystical door, and crowding that less travelled way. Their enthusiasm would certainly stir second thoughts among the Children of Abraham, "that He might have mercy upon all!" 
How wonderful is that? 

After two millennia, Christians should be persuaded that God's favor remains with the Jews, and that we should be grateful to them and their God for their gift of the Jewish Messiah to the world. Their persistence in the face of continual discrimination and, occasional unspeakable violence, must prove God's mercy as persuasively as our Christian martyrs demonstrate the courage and integrity of Christian faith. 

We have seen in the last few weeks a sect of the Catholic Church intentionally split away from the Roman Catholic Church under the pretext of fidelity. They use the appealing TLM to lure many nostalgic Catholics into their camp; but denounce the Vatican Council's Nostra Aetate. 

In that historic document, we explicitly reject the idea that Jews are collectively responsible for the death of Jesus, condemn all forms of antisemitism, and affirm the enduring spiritual bond between the two faiths. We repent for our part in the Shoah.

If Jews regard Christians with cautious suspicion we should regard that as a reminder and rebuke for both our historical and persistent sins against God, his Divine Son, his Holy Church, and ourselves. As Jesus said,

"Take the log out of your own eye before you try to remove a sliver from your brother's!" (Mt 7:5)