“Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath.” (Luke 13:10) With these opening words, the Gospel for Monday’s daily Mass pressed home the agony and suffering of the previous Saturday. The heinous attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue must serve as a call to all Catholics to remember that our very spiritual roots stem from the Tree of Life—in more layers than I realized when I first sat down to write this letter.
We must remember: Judaism gave us our Savior, Jesus Christ. He grew up in the Holy Family, learning from St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary everything it meant to be a faithful son of Israel.
We must remember: Jesus often taught in the synagogues of his own day, bringing a heavenly message of peace, repentance and healing. Whether our Jewish brothers and sisters share our belief in Jesus as the Messiah or not, we must never forget that synagogues just like that in Squirrel Hill were where he brought his message of peace and righteous worship.
Finally, as Christians, we must remember that Tree of Life to which we turn: the Cross. Make no mistake: innocent blood was spilled last Saturday at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill; make no mistake: innocent blood was shed for us all on the Tree of Life on Calvary.
The rest of Monday’s Gospel provided a message of strength and hope I expect is needed throughout the entire Pittsburgh community. Jesus healed a woman bent and crippled by a demon for 18 years. By his word, she was made new.
Let us, therefore, stand erect and steadfast with our Jewish sisters and brothers. Let none of us be bowed under the weight of evil. Let us humbly and lovingly reassure them that, as Christians, we know the Tree of Life will blossom again.