With rare exceptions, Christians spent two millennia believing that we have little to learn from Jews, or even that Jews pose a threat to Christianity. From the rise of Christian empire to Inquisition to Shoah, it seems like Jew-hate has long been the shadow cast by Christian love. But what if Jews do not need to become Christians to participate in God's plan for restoring the world? What if Catholics have something crucial to learn from God's covenant of faithfulness to the Jews, a gift and call of which God has never repented? What can we do about the wounds we have inflicted on those whom Pope John Paul II called our elder brother?
Join us this Sunday at 9:45am in the West Wing for the fifth session of our adult education series focused on appreciating Jewish life and practice. In this session, director of adult faith formation Jon Stotts will help us to reflect on what we've learned so far during this series in preparation for our panel guests next week. We'll also examine various misconceptions about Judaism in Catholic contexts and consider some correctives. This will be a discussion-heavy session. All are welcome!
9/3 – An Orientation to Jews and Catholics in History (Jon Stotts)
9/10 – Everyday Jewish Practices (Rabbi Rami Shapiro)
9/17 – Vatican II and Jewish-Catholic Relations (Jon Stotts)
9/24 – Interpreting the Jewish Scriptures (Patty Marks, The Temple)
10/1 – Anti-Judaism: Mending our Myths and Misconceptions (Jon Stotts)
10/8 – Being Jewish in Nashville (Panel Discussion)
10/15 – Jewish Worship and High Holy Days (Rabbi Strosberg, Sherith Israel)
In our seventh episode, we are joined by Fr. Mark Sappenfield, Christ the King’s associate pastor and priest of the diocese of Nashville for 15 years. Fr. Mark shares a little bit about what motivated him to become a priest and the tremendous opportunities to accompany people that priestly ministry has afforded him. We also discuss the psalms, the practice of daily prayer, and how the eucharistic sacrifice incorporates us all as one body, rejoicing and suffering together.