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Reply To: How should Catholics reconcile the call to witness about one’s faith with the lived reality and fear of Jews concerning Christian evangelism and the erosion of Jewish identity through conversion? Why do historical figures like Edith Stein complicate Jewish- Catholic relations and the importance of upholding identity and the importance of salvation?

#4992
AvatarAlice Maggio
Participant

It might be too simple to think this way, but I think balance is at the heart of this issue. Here is a real-world example: My father loves to evangelize. He will try to engage a tollbooth worker (back when there still were people working in toll booths) about Jesus, during the brief interactions he would have with them on road trips. I was always so embarrassed by this kind of evangelizing – the complete stranger being confronted by my dad in this way. I try to be more subtle, and also prefer forming a relationship with someone, deep or shallow, before sharing my faith. In some ways, too, I have lived in fear of conversion from, for example, Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons that knock on my door. In that way, I can empathize with my Jewish brothers and sisters. I think striking a balance ought to be top of mind.

I am not familiar with the process of canonization (I am not Catholic and was not raised in it), however, I can see how the canonization of Stein might have been too heavy handed on the part of the Catholics. I understand that the people who were canonized deserved to be honored, and are beacons to those who pray to them. It is clear, though, that Stein is problematic to Jewish people, because her identity as a canonized individual overshadows her Jewish identity and heritage. Sometimes I forget Jesus was Jewish – and it is important, as I wrote above, to maintain balance. Human being are multifaceted, and while canonization is a big deal for a person’s legacy, the other parts of their story and identity are also vital. Look at the whole picture of a person.