Prophets and Priests: Champions of the Jews, Israelite & Christian

The Jewish people are the Chosen People of God. God made covenants with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, that the Israelites would be His People and He would be their God. The early Christians understood this clearly—after all, was not Jesus a Jew who said “Salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22)?

Today the Catholic Church celebrates two great Old Testament prophets, Daniel and Ezekiel. Their prophecies are recorded in the Biblical books that bear their names.

“[ECPubs] The holy prophet Ezekiel, who was a son of the priest Buzi. At the time of the exile in the land of the Chaldeans, he was notable for his vision of the glory of the Lord. As an examiner placed before the house of Israel, he reproved the unfaithfulness of the Chosen People. He foresaw that the holy city of Jerusalem would be overthrown into ruins and the people deported. He himself was in the midst of the captives; he nourished their hope and prophesied to them that the dry bones would return to life.”

“[Chabad.org] Daniel (3304-3399 / 457-362 BC…) was a celebrated Jewish scholar and master interpreter of dreams who was exiled to Babylon after the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. He is famous for successfully interpreting the proverbial ‘writing on the wall’ and miraculously surviving the lions’ den. His book is included in the canon of sacred Jewish writings.”

Thousands of years later, after the Messiah came, the Catholic Christian St. Lawrence of Brindisi (whose feast is also today) stood against the anti-Semitism too many of his fellow Christians practiced.

Lawrence was a masterful theologian and zealous Capuchin priest, one of the great heroes of the Catholic Reformation (the response to the Protestant Revolt).

“[Catholic News Agency] Fluent in Hebrew and expertly versed in the Bible, he worked as a diplomat for the secular powers in Europe and as a missionary. In 1596, he was commissioned by the Pope to work for the conversion of the Jewish people and to combat the spread of Protestantism. He was a great preacher and refused a second term as minister general of his order in favor of preaching.”

Lawrence respected Judaism and reached out in charity to Jews, which is probably why he made many converts. He knew that God gave Judaism to the Israelites and that Christians are inheritors of the Jewish covenants, though we believe the Messiah already came.

From Daniel and Ezekiel to Lawrence, Catholics honor champions of the truth and of the Jews today. Jews and Christians do disagree on whether or not the Messiah has come, but we all worship the same God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.