Change in adult catechism accepted

by Jerry Filteau on Aug. 28, 2009

U.S. Catholic catechism changes language on covenant with Jews

The Vatican has approved the U.S. bishops' 2008 decision to change a sentence in the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults that called God's covenant with the Jewish people "eternally valid for them."

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced Aug. 27 that approval of the change had come from the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy, which oversees catechetical activity in the church.

The announcement called the change a "clarification" and "not a change in the church's teaching."

The U.S. bishops adopted the adult catechism – the first such national catechism in the U.S. since the Baltimore Catechism, which dates back to the 19th century.

Since its first publication in 2006 some 240,000 copies of the U.S. adult catechism have been distributed, said Vernon Love, marketing specialist for USCCB Publications. He said a printing of 30,000 copies of the slightly revised version was due to arrive in September.

In the section that explains Catholic relations with the Jews, the original sentence said, "Thus the covenant that God made with the Jewish people through Moses remains eternally valid for them."

The revised version says, "To the Jewish people, whom God first chose to hear his word, 'belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ.'" It cites Romans 9:4-5 and No. 839 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church as references.

The USCCB press release on the change said, "The clarification reflects the teaching of the church that all previous covenants that God made with the Jewish people are fulfilled in Jesus Christ through the new covenant established through his sacrificial death on the cross. Catholics believe that the Jewish people continue to live within the truth of the covenant God made with Abraham, and that God continues to be faithful to them."

The clarification in the U.S. catechism is related to another clarification on Catholic-Jewish relations this summer by two USCCB committees. That clarification raised concerns about the future of Catholic-Jewish dialogue among leading U.S. Jewish organizations. See: Jewish groups question future of dialogue with Catholics

My non-doctrinal thoughts on

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Aug. 28, 2009.

My non-doctrinal thoughts on the given excerpt from the new Catechism –

1) "Thus the covenant that God made with the Jewish people through Moses remains eternally valid for them." 2006 Original

The original sentence of 2006 -- (per Microsoft template ) Flesch-Kincaid (readiibility) scale =
1) Passive sentences = 0
2) Reading Ease = 56.9
3) Reading grade level = 9.7 (High school Freshman/nearly Sophomore)
4) Words per sentence = 18
5) Type of sentence – simple
Subject – Thus the covenant…
Verb – remains
Object -- …valid…

2) "To the Jewish people, whom God first chose to hear his word, 'belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ.'" 2008 revision

The 2008 revision -- (again, per Microsoft template) Flesch-Kincaid scale =
1) Passive sentences = 0
2) Reading Ease = 69.4
3) Reading grade level = 9.2
4) Words per sentence = 46
5) Type of sentence – complex – 3 multiple clauses

1st primary clause
subject – prepositional phrase – To the Jewish people…
verb – belong
object – 6 nouns – sonship, glory, covenants, giving, worship, promises

Semicolon – then 2nd primary clause –
subject – to them (refers to the subject of the first primary clause)
verb – belong (repeats the verb of the first primary clause)
object – another noun – patriarchs

Thus these 2 clauses could be combined into a single equivalent long one for easier word flow…

3rd clause (subordinate) –
subject – of their race…
verb – is
object – the Christ.

Personal observation, since I am somewhat visually impaired—the semicolon could easily be taken for a comma & then the sentence would seem to be run-on & make even less sense…

3) Lastly, what is this about “the (Jewish) race, according to the flesh” – since there is only a single Human race genetically??? It reads like a throwback to some vicious Anti-Semitic propaganda!

KMC – former teacher of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)
& student of written English, Latin, Spanish, German & French, during my school years…

So now, how about the

Submitted by frère charles du désert OSB OBLAT (Congrégation de Subiaco) (not verified) on Aug. 28, 2009.

So now, how about the covenant made with Hagar?

Changing this wording to "of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ" simply means the Jesus was a Jew, but only "according to the flesh . . ."

They are wrong to call this a clarification. It is grotesque obfuscation, and no resolution. This is purposefully not clear at all, which is why the tortured semantics. This could well please those SSPX bishops while leaving the faithful confused enough to feel, "Well, it must read what I think it reads. I guess."

Fortunately no one will ever actually read this. Nobody can with understanding read this.

All we need read, and put into action, is:
"Love thy enemy."

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