The greatness of God is far beyond our human perceptions.
Passover and Easter
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
The first time I saw the Pillsbury Doughboy meme I’m pretty sure I spit out my coffee. It was posted on my Facebook page, back when I had one of those, by an old Jewish girlfriend from high school with whom I’m still conversant (and who regularly has lunch with my wife!)
Although I converted to the Catholic Church 28 years ago at the age of 65, I still follow some Passover customs (ethnically, not religiously significant). Passover began Wednesday evening (the 5th) and I am now avoiding all food with leavening. That in addition to several Lenten fasts. However, there’s a dish, matzo brie, that makes this leavening abstinence worthwhile. I’ve learned to cook it from my wife, a cradle Catholic, who knows more about Jewish cooking than did my mother, and more Judaica than the local rabbi.. It’s essentially wet matzos soaked in egg and fried. With apple butter, can’t be beat. (That and gefilte fish.)
Jewish cuisine has always appealed to me Bob, to such an extent some of my Jewish fellow attorneys have occasionally kidded me: Don are you sure you are Irish?
When we lived in the Bronx in the 1950’s our next door apartment neighbors were an older Jewish couple. At first the older woman was reticent about Catholics. Later, she and my mother became very close.
In fact my mother tended the woman when she was dying at home.
For many years after, the widower would have his son drive him to Long Island to visit with my mother – always at this time of year.
Plus, my mother always had matzohs in the house this time of year.
My parents were Catholic, but my mother’s maid-of-honor was Jewish, and they were best friends since childhood. We had from her mom a coffee cake recipe made with sour cream that we all liked, and which the grandkids happily called “Jewish coffee cake”.
My diet is salt resticted. May I recommend matzoh pizza, matzoh cinnamon, butter and sugar, plain matzoh with coffee or tea, matzoh with raspberry jam and matzoh because this is what Moses and Christ ate.
My great-grandfather was Jewish, so I figure I am 1/64th Jewish
You would likely have 8 great-grandparents, so you’re more Jewish than you thought. Twice what I am. My great-great- grandmother was a Jacobs, putting me at 6.25%.
Thank you, Pinky for the numbers. As Christians everybody is 100% Jewish. Children of Mary and brothers and sisters in Jesus.