Jewish leaders object to prayer for them

Some Jewish leaders object to Latin Rite Good Friday prayer

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0703900.htm

But the 1962 Good Friday liturgy does include a prayer for the conversion of the Jews, asking God to remove "the veil from their hearts" and help them overcome their "blindness."The prayer says: "Let us pray also for the Jews that the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge Our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, you do not refuse your mercy even to the Jews; hear the prayers which we offer for the blindness of that people so that they may acknowledge the light of your truth, which is Christ, and be delivered from their darkness."

***

Oh good grief. I've been trying to bite my tongue for the past two days. Perhaps we ought to replace this prayer with one that the increasingly secular Jews regain their own religious observance at all again.

Only Catholics have to bend over backwards and do the politically correct limbo twist, even on the very day that commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And by way of interfaith education the term "do not refuse your mercy even to the Jews" refers to Christ's forgiveness of all those who crucified him even as he was being tortured and killed. It's a direct reference to Christ's forgiveness, not a cultural judgment, of the people who were in the process of killing him. In fact these similar words are used by St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, who died just after Jesus' death and resurrection, by being stoned by a Jewish mob who objected to his preaching. St. Stephen begged God for the forgiveness of the very persons who were in the processing of stoning him to death. This prayer is actually a very touching and generous commemoration of the heart of the Christian faith, sprung from Jewish roots. Sheesh.

Can you imagine if I told Jewish leaders that reference to waiting for a Messiah offends me, and they should edit their praise and worship, because I believe the Messiah already came and went? Of course I would not do that. So Jewish leaders should lighten up on the sensitivity button and look to their own increasingly secular problems, just as we have. And everyone should be thankful for any sincere prayer.