Thursday of the Octave of Easter
(Acts 3:11-26; Luke 24:35-48)
There are only about 15 million Jews in the whole
world. The number is not growing much because
Jews, often marrying outside their religion, do not raise their children to
observe Jewish law. Jewish rabbis have
asked their Catholic counterparts not to evangelize Jews at least in part
because of their vulnerable number. Although
Church leaders generally try to cultivate favorable relations with Jews, they have
demurred on this point. The first
reading today provides a Scriptural basis for this demurral.
Peter is preaching among the Jews in the Temple
area. He says that Jesus fulfills the
prophecies in Scripture of the Messiah. Further he gives as testimony the miraculous healing
that was done in the name of Jesus.
Eventually the preaching brings thousands of Jews to confess faith in
Jesus although by no means the whole nation.
In the end Christian preachers turn their efforts to non-Jews, but they
never refuse in principle to accept Jews into the faith.
Christians must keep a positive concept of Jews in mind
and heart. They are our elder brothers
and sisters in the faith in the one God.
Further, Jesus, Mary, Joseph and all the apostles were Jewish. We should pray for them as we do explicitly
on Good Friday that they may keep their covenant with God.
