المسيح

This is the story of my return to the Catholic Church. I will attempt to explain how my walk with the Lord these past years has led me to this important and difficult decision, yet one that I make in peace and joy. It is addressed to my Evangelical Christian and Messianic Jewish friends in Israel, and particularly to those who do not believe that one can be a "true believer" and a Catholic at the same time. It is also written as a personal testimony for my many good friends around the world who may be interested in my walk of faith. To them I dedicate this essay and pray that it will help us to grow in unity in loving and worshiping the King of Kings.

I am an Orthodox Jew by adoption. That is to say, I am a convert to Judaism, according to the halacha. I live in the company of other Orthodox Jews, with my husband and four children, in a religious community in Israel. I also love Jesus and the Gospel message, which I am still learning, and this means that I live my faith life mostly inwardly.

"We know that God gave Israel the land but there is no mention of his taking it back again forever. Can we Christians exclude that what is happening in our day, that is, the return of Israel to the land of its fathers, is not connected in some way, still a mystery to us, to this providential order which concerns the chosen people and which is carried out even through human error and excess as happens in the Church itself?"

Did Jesus Suspend the Observance of the Law? This article examines some of the Biblical arguments in support of the traditional doctrine that exempts, not only the Gentile, but even the baptized Jew from keeping the Law of the Torah. We will examine here certain episodes which have been interpreted to show that Jesus suspended the observance of the Law: Jesus and the kashrut dietary laws, Jesus and the Sabbath, and Peter's vision of the animals in Acts 10. 

Ten basic steps outlining God's plan of salvation for us: God created us out of love and made a covenant with us; by sinning we have broken His covenant; God sent Jesus the Messiah to restore us to communion with Him; and He restores this communion through the Catholic Church He established and especially the seven sacraments.

Catholics for Israel is an apostolate faithful to the Church’s Magisterium, entrusted by Christ with authentically interpreting the word of God. Our convictions about Israel and the Jewish people rest on official Catholic teaching, especially Nostra Aetate §4 and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Here we explain what that means for our mission and commitments.

Part I: Israel and the Church from Abraham to Today - The origins of Israel: the Patriarchs; the Exodus and Mount Sinai; the kingdom of Israel; exile and return. Hebrews, Israelites and Jews.  The Messiah and his rejection by his own people.  The birth of the Church. Early Jewish-Christianity, the growth of Gentile Christianity, and the parting of ways.  Israel in the patristic writings: the rise of "replacement theology." Christian anti-Semitism in the Middle-Ages. Theological evaluation: Israel and the Church in the New Testament. 

Part II: Israel and the Church Today - How Vatican II and Nostra Aetate transformed the Church's relationship with the Jewish people. Church documents on the Jewish people from Vatican II to the 21st century. The promised restoration of Israel according to the prophets. An evaluation: can Old Testament prophecies still apply to Israel today? The Catholic Church and the modern State of Israel. Israel's "passion, death and resurrection"?

Part III: Messianic Judaism and Christian Zionism: The rise of the Zionist movement in the late 19th century. Early Christian Zionism. Early Hebrew-Christians and early Hebrew-Catholics. The turning point: 1967. From Hebrew-Christians to Messianic Jews. The Messianic movement today in Israel and among the nations. Messianic theology and faith; Messianic congregations and worship; Messianic culture and life in Israel. Christian Zionism and Christian supporters of Israel today. Toward Jerusalem Council II - welcoming Jewish believers back into the Church.

Is the baptized Jew obligated to keep the commandments of the Jewish Law? In the first part of this series, we see how Jesus did not abrogate the Law of Moses that was given to the Jewish people. We also see how the early Jewish-Christian community continued to live in accordance with the Torah. 

The Name of G-d is like a Temple: Just as a Temple locates G-d's Presence and offers men an opportunity to enter that Presence, the Name of G-d is the "place"—that through which-- we encounter the Presence of G-d.

Loving Israel, Loving Messiah, Loving the Church: three dimensions of one mission. Catholics for Israel helps Christians rediscover their Jewish roots, invites Jews and others to encounter the Messiah, and leads believers toward the fullness of communion with God in the Catholic Church. We seek reconciliation between Christians and the Jewish people, reconciliation with God through Jesus the Messiah, and unity among believers in his Church, the ark of God’s salvation.

From creation and the Fall to the calling of Abraham, the Exodus, and Israel’s journey through kingdom, exile, and restoration, follow the unfolding story of God’s faithful love. These lessons trace his covenants with Israel and the prophets’ promises to their fulfillment in Jesus the Messiah, opening onto the life of the Trinity, the Church, and the hope of his return.

How does Jesus continue his saving work in the world today? Through the Church he founded. Explore her faith, authority, sacraments, and call to holiness in light of Israel’s story and God’s covenant promises. These lessons show how grace transforms our lives, draws us into communion with God, and equips us for love, family life, and mission.

Discover the story of salvation—and your place in it. Catholics for Israel’s online Bible course guides you from creation and God’s covenants with Israel to Jesus the Messiah and life in his Church. Part I explores the foundations of biblical faith and God’s unfolding plan of salvation. Part II introduces the Catholic Church, her teachings, worship, and sacramental life. Whether you are exploring Christianity or seeking to deepen your faith, choose a section below to begin.

LORD, that which You have given us, give to all Israel. May all Israel discover the sweet gentleness and sublimity of the Messiah, who is still waiting, and has already been with us for twenty centuries, Yeshua, the Lord. And together with the Messiah, may Israel discover the stunning beauty of the Good News that comes from heaven, the New Covenant capable of bringing to Israel the peace of her God, shalom upon Jerusalem.

The Exodus, God's deliverance of Israel out of Egyptian slavery through Moses, prefigured God's redemption of all humanity from the slavery of sin through a new and greater Savior, Jesus the Messiah. The liturgical life of the Israelites in the desert on their way to the Promised Land prefigured the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church as it heads towards its heavenly Promised Land.

Is the Messiah to be a mere man, as is commonly thought in traditional Judaism, or is he divine, as it is held by Christians? Did the concept of a divine Messiah derive from Greek pagan influences, or is it rooted in the Bible? Is it a New Testament innovation or can we find hints and traces of this idea throughout the Hebrew Bible and Jewish literature? Read about the divinity of the Messiah in the Patristic writings, in the New Testament, and in the Hebrew Scriptures and Jewish literature.

The Feasts of Israel commemorate God's deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt and his care for them during the Exodus. Yet the feasts also foreshadow God's salvation plan for humanity in Christ. This essay examines the significance of these feasts for the Jewish people as well as their messianic and typological fulfillment in Christ.

Finding My Jewish Past and My Catholic Present - Growing up in New York City in a very strict Catholic home I began questioning the doctrines of our faith at a very young age. Little did I know that this very same quest brought me to a moment in my life in which I would have all these questions answered for me by G-d, Himself!