Teaching About Passover and the Seder – Some Things to Consider
Summary
by Ms. Celia Sirois
In 1988 the Bishops’ Committee on Liturgy, an arm of the USCCB,
recognizing that it was becoming more and more common for Christians
to take part
in a Passover Seder each year, made general recommendations concerning
this growing phenomenon. While acknowledging that “this practice can
have educational and spiritual value,” they urged Catholics to approach “this
sacred feast. . . with sensitivity to those to whom the seder truly belongs,” the
Jewish people. The recommendations of the Bishops’ Committee first appeared
in a document entitled God’s Mercy Endures Forever and, in 1997,
they were expanded in a leaflet published by the SIDIC Center
in Rome. What
follows is a digest of their most salient points.
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As the Bishops state, the Passover Seder belongs
to the Jews. It is Jewish liturgy and, as such, can only be
celebrated by Jews.
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Because Christianity is rooted in Judaism, there
are good reasons for Christians to understand Passover. (a)
Since the Passover Seder is a “constitutive rite of Judaism,” attending
a Seder is an excellent way of coming to know Judaism
on its own terms, as the Church encourages us to do. (b) Since
Jesus lived and died as a Jew, his human understanding and
experience of God were shaped by this “constitutive rite.” Familiarity
with the components of the Passover Seder can help us
to appreciate Jesus’ action and intention at the Last Supper. (c)
Since the Eucharist has its origins in the Passover meal, a
better know- ledge of this Jewish liturgy can, as the Catechism says,
enhance our understanding of certain aspects of Christian liturgy.
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When Christians reenact parts of the Passover Seder it
is not a liturgical celebration, but a learning experience. Therefore,
the liturgical term Seder should not be used for these
educational activities.
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The Bishops are emphatic on this point: “It is wrong. .
. to ‘baptize’ the Seder by ending it with New Testament readings
about the Last Supper or, worse, [by turning] it into a prologue
to the Eucharist.”
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In order to ensure that the rites of the seder are
respected in all their integrity, as the Bishops advise, Christians
who want to take part in a Seder should either participate
in a Passover Seder as guests in a Jewish home or synagogue,
or invite a rabbi or an observant Jew to con-duct a learning
activity about the Seder.
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The Bishops conclude with a reminder that Easter
is the Christian counterpart to the Jewish Passover and “the rites
of the Triduum are the [Church’s] annual memorial of the events
of Jesus’ dying and rising.” Preparing students for these
rites should be the focus of catechesis
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