Today we celebrate to moment when Saul of Tarsus first heard the call of Jesus. With the passing of the centuries we can forget that our Christian faith is inextricably linked to the faith of the Jews. In the first reading Paul tells us that he was trained not by just any teacher but by one of the greatest of his time Gamaliel.
Sunday nights I had the privilege of being invited to the preview of an exhibit that is touring the country on John Paul II and the Jewish people, A Blessing to One Another. It will be at the Virginia Holocaust Museum until June 1. It is the story of a Jew and a Catholic who became friends in a world where that was not common, survive WWII, and were brought back together by God in the city of Rome during the Second Vatican Council.
Not textbooks, but this childhood friendship was John Paul's education in the Jewish faith, and through him would reshape the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish People.
27 Nissan of the Jewish Calendar marks Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, which will fall this year on May 1 of our calendar,the same day as the beatification of Pope John Paul II. We here in Richmond, have the incredible privilege of hosting the exhibit on this day.
If you are in the Richmond area, this exhibit is a must see. If you are out of the area check the exhibit's main site, for more information on future venues near you.
Lastly, we pray for the Paulist Fathers, the American Society of Apostolic Life, whose founder recognized the unique needs of our nation in the areas of:evangelization, reconciliation, and ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue.
