". . . all Israel will be saved"

There has been much discussion lately about the prayer for the Jews during the Good Friday intercessions. Jews have long found the original formula

Let us pray also for the faithless Jews, that Almighty God may remove the veil from their hearts; so that they too may acknowledge Jesus Christ our Lord. Almighty and eternal God, who dost not exclude from thy mercy even Jewish faithlessness: hear our prayers, which we offer for the blindness of that people; that acknowledging the light of thy Truth, which is Christ, they may be delivered from their darkness. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

insulting (understandably, although I will quibble with the particulars); now some Jewish leaders have rejected the revision released by Pope Benedict in February, calling it "insulting" and saying that Pope Benedict has "lost his sensitivity." The revision reads

 

Let us also pray for the Jews: That God and our Lord may illuminate their hearts, that they acknowledge Jesus Christ is the Savior of all men. Almighty and eternal God, who want that all men be saved and come to the recognition of the truth, propitiously grant that even as the fulness of the peoples enters Thy Church, all Israel be saved. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Rabbi Walter Homolka complains that it is insulting to Jews for Catholics to believe that in order for them to be saved, they must accept Jesus Christ as the Savior. In an interview with Spiegel.com, Homolka says, "[Pope Benedict] indicates that he believes that the path to salvation, even for Jews, can only go through Jesus, the savior. This opens the floodgates for the conversion of the Jews."

Just imagine - the Pope believes that salvation is through Jesus. In all seriousness, I find it almost dumbfounding that someone, especially a learned someone, would complain that on Good Friday Catholics pray for the conversion of others. If the Rabbi is offended that on Good Friday, the Pope wants us to pray for the conversion of the Jews, then he ought to go ahead and condemn the whole of Christianity. Every book of the New Testament proclaims that Jesus is the salvation of the world - the only salvation. This has been the constant teaching of the Catholic Church for 2,000 years.

My answer to the Rabbi's objections is, Won't you please pray for my conversion also? I believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold by the Old Testament, and therefore I hope that all peoples will find faith in Him. I believe that God desires that all be saved, including (perhaps especially) the Jews. Therefore I will pray that all people, Jews or otherwise, will become followers of Christ. I believe that the evidence supports my position. On the other hand, I hope that, as a good Jew, you believe that your religion is the true revelation of the One True God. I also hope that you pray for my conversion. I would find it insulting if you didn't.

More on this subject in a future post.