www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Prayers for the Jews in the Eastern rites

Could anyone tell me if the Eastern rites, Byzantine, Coptic, Ethiopian, Armenian, etc., have or have had prayers for the conversion of the Jews analogous to the traditional Roman rite and its derivatives?

Try reading an unexpurgated version of the Holy Week services of the Byzantine tradition - and make sure that you are sitting in a comfortable chair, well braced.

Fr. Serge

I have to ask the question, have we become so politically correct we can't ask for anyone's conversion anymore? I have problems with that since our purpose is supposedly to convert the entire world to Christ.

Well, we could pray for the conversion of "all". That would certainly include the Jews, Moslems, heterodox.

I pray every day for the conversion of the heterodox, the Jews, the Mohammedans, and all.

Timothy

Works for me!

I believe it is our duty as Orthodox Christians to pray for the conversion of all to the True Faith.

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I pray for everyone. I hope that all eventually know and love Christ.

I, too, pray that the Jews will overcome their hardness of heart and will accept their messiah.

Joe

Didn't St. Paul compare Christians to "a wild branch" grafted onto an Olive tree - the Olive tree being a symbol of the Jewish people, who for thousands of years had a covenant with the God of Abraham. How does a covenant for thousands of years with the God of Abraham make a people "heathen"?
Read your Cathecism. It's explained in detail there.
I recently watched a movie, The Passion of Sister Rose, who did research on all the anti-Semitism in Catholicism prior to Vatican II. I strongly urge all to watch it.

I strongly urge you to watch this. [video.google.com]

I am not sure exactly what the word "heathen" actually means. I've always seen it synonymous with paganism. If it is a synonym for pagan, then Jews (and Muslims too I suppose) are not heathens. If it means someone who is an unbeliever; that is, someone who rejects Christ, then yes, all non-Christians are heathens. We should pray for everyone's conversion (even our own).

St. Paul certainly does have a special love for the Jews, his "kinsmen after the flesh," and he points out that their being cast out by God will not be permanent if they repent and turn to Christ. St. Paul is also clear that it is not those who are of the flesh that are true Jews but those who are of faith. Christians are the true Jews and the Church is the true Israel. God has not forgotten the Jews after the flesh, but they are free to re-enter the covenant if they repent and confess Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

Joe

Dear Joe,

If you are uncertain of the meaning of "heathen" check out the spreade of "santeria" in some parts of the USA. If you're in reasonable distance of Boston, try a stroll through the Combat Zone. And so on.

Fr. Serge

Dear Friends,

One problem with praying for another's conversion is the historical context.

For example, RC's worked to convert the Orthodox and even the very word for "convert" (navertaty) is deeply offensive to Orthodox to this day.

As Bl Leonid Fyodorov noted at the height of the Soviet persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church - "These (martyrs for Christ) are the ones that the Latin Church wants to 'convert!'"

In addition, Jews who have become Orthodox Christians and also "Hebrew Catholics" will tell us that the conversion of Jews historically involved much more than their "acceptance of Christ."

It also implied the destruction of their culture and identity in fact.

Until the Church can face up to this, there will always be hard feelings and disagreemtn on this score.

It would also help if both Catholic and Orthodox Churches reviewed their veneration of saints who were said to have been killed by Jews in blood rituals.

Such rituals have been shown to have simply been a part of antisemitic hype at best. St Gabriel of Slutsk is one example of that. It is not to say that St Gabriel shouldn't be a saint - only that the interpretation of his death should be reviewed.

And we Catholics should also consider that there are many Evangelical Christians praying for our own "conversion" to the truth.

Perhaps, instead of this, we should be following Christ in word and example (and I am among the greatest sinners in this regard). This would better serve to draw many back to Christ - including many Catholics around us who are lukewarm in embracing trhe practice of their faith.

Alex