Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Where is the source of influence?

It seems to me like a group of people who are not members of the Church should not be the final arbiters of what we are praying about. In the current Good Friday prayers we pray for them to remain faithful to the covenant. It seems like we should be praying for their conversion, not their fidelity to a useless covenant which they don't seem to adhere to anyhow.

Vatican City: Prayer on Jews May Change
By REUTERS

Pope Benedict XVI has decided to modify a Good Friday prayer that in the Latin Mass has been offensive to Jews, the newspaper Il Giornale reported. Last year, Benedict authorized wider use of the old Latin rite, and in Latin the prayer, for the conversion of non-Christians, asks God to deliver the Jews “from their darkness" and makes a reference to their "blindness." Jews have called for a change in the prayer, which, if left as stands, would be used by several hundred thousand traditionalists who follow the old rite, the Tridentine Mass. The Vatican had no official comment on the newspaper report. A Vatican source said he expected changes to be announced before Good Friday, March 21, but had no details.

For reference, here is the English translation from 1955:
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. Let us pray. Let us kneel. [pause for silent prayer] Arise. Almighty and eternal God, who dost not exclude from thy mercy even the faithless Jews: 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.
Here is the translation from 1960 when PJ23 removed the word "faithless" (perfidis in Latin):
Let us pray also for the Jews: that almighty God may remove the veil from their hearts; so that they too may acknowledge Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us pray. Let us kneel. Arise. Almighty and eternal God, who dost not exclude from thy mercy the Jews also: 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.
And here is the current text:
Let us pray for the Jewish people, the first to hear the word of God, that they may continue to grow in the love of his name and in faithfulness to his covenant. (Prayer in silence. Then the priest says:) Almighty and eternal God, long ago you gave your promise to Abraham and his posterity. Listen to your Church as we pray that the people you first made your own may arrive at the fullness of redemption. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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