And now, a word from the rabbi
Monday, March 7, 2016
Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Thompson
I was fortunate to be among the rabbis who were invited to accompany Auxiliary Bishop Peter Baldachino and catechists of the Neo-Catechumenal Way in Miami on a trip to Domus Galilaeae last year. Over 400 bishops, cardinals, and rabbis gathered from around the globe to strengthen understanding and ties between Catholics and Jews. We spent those days looking for new ways in which we could work together to bring our common message of faith to our respective communities and to each other. Since that meeting last May I have been able to continue that work and now, as a participant in this blog, it is my hope that I can make some contribution to increasing awareness and understanding of Judaism.
On Jan. 17, Pope Francis spoke at a synagogue in Rome and part of his message was the following:
“In interfaith dialogue it is essential that we meet as brothers and sisters before our Creator and to Him give praise, that we respect and appreciate each other and try to collaborate. In Jewish-Christian dialogue there is a unique and special bond thanks to the Jewish roots of Christianity: Jews and Christians must therefore feel as brothers, united by the same God and by a rich common spiritual patrimony… upon which to build the future.”
It is the task of both communities to fulfill this vision of the future: our two faiths working together to better the world and to mutually nourish our faith. We see evidence daily that the faith and values that we cherish in common are under attack. In an increasingly secular world, ours are the great faiths that proclaim God’s hopes for mankind. As Christianity is under attack in the Middle East and the shadow of anti-Semitism still darkens the world, we must come together in understanding. Judaism and Christianity stand as brothers on the stage of history to teach faith in one God, the value of human life, and love for all people.
I want to thank Archbishop Thomas Wenski for granting me this opportunity to share thoughts with you on behalf of the Jewish community. Throughout the year I will contribute blog articles about Jewish holidays and traditions so that you might better understand Judaism. I also invite your questions. You can reach me by email at [email protected]. I welcome your questions and will do my best to respond either here in the blog or by personal email.
It has been 50 years since Nostra Aetate — the official “restart” of Jewish-Catholic relations — but our journey together has only begun. I hope that in some small way each of us will move that journey one step ahead. I pray that 2016 will be a year in which God blesses all of us with peace.
Rabbi Yaakov will be speaking on the Dayenu: The Jewish Passover and the Roots of Our Christian Faith, this Sunday, March 13, at 6 p.m., at St. Kieran Church, 3605 South Miami Avenue, Miami. The event is free and open to the public.
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