“What marvels the Lord worked for them! What marvels the Lord worked for us: Indeed we were glad,” Psalm 126. “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers live in unity,” Psalm 133.
It is just past the second anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the Great Synagogue of the Jews of Rome on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010. The pope reminded Jews and Christians of one of the great blessings of our modern times, Jews and Christians growing closer in mutual understanding and respect. He said on that historic day, “The psalms which we have heard suggest to us the right spiritual attitude in which to experience this particular and happy moment of grace: the praise of the Lord, who has worked marvels for us and has gathered us in his Hesed, his merciful love and thanksgiving to him for granting us this opportunity to come together along the path of reconciliation and fraternity.”
He also used this remarkable gathering to remind Jews and Christians of the positive significance of the Second Vatican Council and its dramatic new outlooks. The pope said, “The teaching of the Second Vatican Council has represented for Catholics a clear landmark to which constant reference is made in our attitude and our relations with the Jewish people, marking a new and significant stage. The Council gave a strong impetus to our irrevocable commitment to pursue the path of dialogue, fraternity and friendship, a journey which has been deepened and developed in the last 40 years, through important steps and significant gestures.”
We have been particularly blessed here in Southern New Jersey, as Jews and Catholics, with our close walk along the path of “dialogue, fraternity and friendship,” with the establishment of our Catholic-Jewish Commission and its educational arm, the Catholic-Jewish Institute For Understanding. Our spring lecture series begins Wednesday, Feb. 29. All classes will meet Wednesdays; Feb. 29, March 14 and 21 at 7 p.m., at the Weinberg Jewish Community Campus, 1301 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill. We will end our series with our annual celebration of our Interfaith Community Seder which will be held Sunday, March 25. Details will be forthcoming.
The theme of our Institute this year is “Transformation – Passover and Easter.” Rabbi Lewis Eron and Dr. Jane Kopas, our Institute co-chairs, describe this spring’s program. “For people everywhere, spring is a season of hope and rebirth. As the world wakes from its winter slumber, we feel ourselves restored to life. We sense the power of life renewed within us. We put aside our old selves and strive for a newer and better way of being. In this way the great spring festivals of Passover, for Jews, and Easter, for Christians, are more than commemorations of historical events. They mark this deep transformation. Their respective stories provide the insights and images we need to discuss and experience our dreams of a better life for ourselves and our loved ones and for a world reborn. In our three sessions we will examine the way Christians and Jews used their historical memories and scriptural and liturgical traditions to celebrate the transforming nature of this season. We will conclude our study with a traditional Jewish Seder to help us celebrate the season and look at the ways in which we can use our traditions to express our hopes and dreams for all people and the entire world.”
Feb. 29, “Transformation in the Exodus and Lenten Experiences,” will be examined by me and my Jewish counterpart. March 14, “Symbolizing Transformation in Customs and Ceremonies,” with guest Catholic lecturer, Stephen Obarski, director of the Office of Worship and Christian Initiation, Diocese of Camden and his Jewish counterpart. March 21, “Finding Meaning in the Events of Transformation Today,” with Catholic lecturer, Jane Kopas, Ph.D., member of Catholic-Jewish Commission and her Jewish counterpart. All this will culminate in an Interfaith Seder on March 25. Participants may earn a certificate in Christian-Jewish Relations from LaSalle University, please call for details. Per semester fee is $25 and per session fee is $10. Register online at: www.jcrcsnj.org or send checks, payable to “Catholic-Jewish Institute For Understanding, c/o JCRC, 1301 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003. For information, call 856-751-9500, ext. 1117.
I hope you will be able to attend and learn about our mutual desire for rebirth and transformation through our celebrations of Passover and Easter.
Father Joseph D. Wallace is coordinator, Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs, Diocese of Camden.
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