The Jewish Heritage of the Catholic Church
by Marty Barrack
(c) Copyright Martin K. Barrack 1999. All rights
reserved.
St. Edith Stein enjoyed the wonderful experience of bringing a Jewish
education into the Catholic faith. That experience is a blessing that since
my baptism in 1989 God has called me to share with my brothers in Christ.
Three very brief examples:
Washing of the Feet
During the Last Supper Jesus rose in mid-meal from the table, tied a towel
around His waist, and washed the apostles' feet, telling them that they should
imitate His example. Why would the Son of God do
that?
Jerusalem in Christ's time had dirt roads. When a man entered a home he
would take off his shoes to avoid tracking dirt all over the floor. However,
men often wore open sandals in the hot weather, so even after removing the
sandals their feet left some dirt on the floors. In homes that could afford
servants, the lowest servant would immediately wash the feet of each guest
as he arrived. The apostles knew that washing other men's feet was a mark
of the most humble servant of all, the one who served all
others.
As always, Jesus also had a deeper message. God had told Moses at the
burning bush, (Ex 3:5) "Put off your shoes from your feet, for the place
on which you stand is holy ground." Jesus, by washing His apostles' feet,
reminded them that the road to the Cross is holy ground, and prepared them
to walk in His footsteps serving God and man.
Prophecy Fulfilled
In the time of Christ, long before Gutenberg invented the printing press,
Jews passed down much of Scripture from father to son by telling and retelling
it from memory. The psalms were not numbered, and so were referred to by
the first few words. A Jew who heard the first few words of any psalm could
recite the rest of it by heart.
Jesus said from the Cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
He was reminding the Jews at the foot of the cross, and us all, of the striking
prophecy of Psalm 22 now fulfilled before their eyes. It begins with those
words, and continues, (Ps 22:16) "...they have pierced my hands and feet
... they divide my garments among them, and for my raiment they cast
lots."
Our Redeemer's final words, "Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit,"
reminded His listeners even more strikingly of the same words in Psalm 31:5,
and of the words that followed: "Thou has redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God."
Christ's reference to Psalm 31, in a mysterious way, even reassured His faithful
followers: "Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait
for the Lord!"
The Todah Sacrifice
The ancient Jews had a special ritual meal called the Todah (Hebrew: thanks).
The Todah sacrificed an animal, but it was greater than other animal sacrifices
because it added the suffering of one's own life. Our Father in heaven was
slowly preparing His covenant children for the move from animal sacrifices
to the Final Sacrifice. (Ps 40:6,8) "Burnt offering and sin offering Thou
hast not required. ... I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy law is within
my heart." Again, David wrote, (Ps 51:17) "The sacrifice acceptable to God
is a broken spirit." And again, (Ps 69:30) "I will praise the name of God
with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord
more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs." Isaiah spoke the words of
God, (Is 1:11) "I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams." God called
instead for a baptism: (Is 1:16) "Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings from My eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do
good."
The ancient rabbis believed that when the Messiah would come all sacrifices
except the Todah would cease, but the Todah would continue for all eternity.
In 70 AD the Temple fell to earth and all of the bloody animal sacrifices
stopped. Only the Todah remains, the eucharistia, the Final Sacrifice at
which the last words spoken are Todah l'Adonai, "Thanks be to
God."
You will find much more in my book, Second Exodus, written to highlight
the Jewish origins of the Catholic Church. Look for it in your local Catholic
bookshop. If they don't have it, ask them to order it from Magnificat Institute
Press at (281) 370-8200. Or order Second Exodus directly from the Miriam
Press, an arm of the Association of Hebrew Catholics, at (888) 734-2418,
or from Remnant of Israel at (888) 352-7153.
Visitors to this site are welcome to make copies of these brief observations and share them with friends, as long as the text is not altered in any way, including my name as author and the copyright notice, and as long as it is not sold.