Page 103 - October 7 - Teresa Pirola

4. As part of a Christian prayer life, approach Jesus with a consciousness of his Jewish identity and his Jewish kinship ties, in keeping with the gospel narratives.
5. Ask Jewish friends about how they perceive the history of Christian anti-Judaism and how it has impacted them or their family’s or community’s history. Listen deeply.
6. Learn to identify age-old antisemitic stereotypes at work in present-day hate speech.
7. In Lent and Holy Week each year, include a prayer of lament for Christianity’s long history of anti-Judaism and antisemitism, perhaps similar to the prayer of Pope John Paul II during his historic visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem (Judaism’s holiest site) in 2000.
8. Pay attention to contemporary church statements on Jewish-Christian relations, such as the documents quoted above. Many more can be found at the Dialogika online l i b r a r y.
9. Learn about the interfaith significance of the powerful sculpture, Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time, by Joshua Koffman, located at Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia.
10. The best antidote to prejudice is conscious acts of love. In an examination of conscience, review your speech and actions in relation to Jews and Judaism, taking a lead from these words of Pope John Paul II:
For the Jewish people themselves, Catholics should have not only respect but also great fraternal love for it is the teaching of both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures that the Jews are beloved of God, who has called them with an irrevocable calling.
No valid theological justification could ever be found for acts
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